“The biggest threat facing our youth is the destruction of our planet. By coming here today, you are making an investment in the earth, and building a future for our young people”
    Bridget Pitt, Deputy Chair of the Princess Vlei Forum, greeted the forty people who came to plant fynbos at Princess Vlei on June 16 2022 with these words.
     Pitt went on to explain that the plot where they would be planting had a complicated history, like Princess Vlei itself. In July 2020, Forum volunteers and community members, together with the Kirstenbosch branch of the Botanical Society, came out of lock down to plant over 5 000 plant units onto the site, bringing it from a biodiversity of 4 species to over 40.
      This was the culmination of several months work by the Forum restoration and botanical team. After extensive research into what vegetation had once naturally grown at Princess Vlei, the team created a five-year restoration plan, and sourced and cultivated plants for the site from seed or cuttings.
     By May 2021, these plants were flourishing and most had survived.  Then disaster struck: an operator contracted by the City to clear water hyacinth destroyed two hundred metres of shoreline, and eradicated two-thirds of the restoration site, burying it under piles of sludge and hyacinth extracted from the vlei.
     Since then, the City has been working with the Forum to repair the damage. On June 16, the City provided 670 plants of 10 different species to plant in the area. While this could not return the site to the condition it was in before it was destroyed, Pitt said it was an important gesture from the City that was appreciated by the Forum, and was part of building a relationship of trust and collaboration that was essential to enable the community to participate meaningfully in the restoration and governance of fragile ecosystems in the city.

The Forum also aknowledged the City officials and counsellors who came to assist with the planting. Among these were Teboho Maliehe, Luyanda Mjuleni, Sihle Jonas, Ashton Mouton and Asanda Mdladlamba, and Cllr Kevin Southgate. Cllr Southgate has long been a champion of the the Princess Vlei, even before he was a councillor. On behalf of the Forum, Emma Oliver thanked them for coming, and for their contribution to the refreshments.

Another significant person at the planting was Nikita January-Johnson. Nikita first became involved as a school learner from Lotus High in 2012. Many of the plants now flourishing at the Vlei were planted by Nikita and her classmates, as a form of protest against the planned shopping mall. She was now coming to plant with her husband and two small children.

In a Facebook post about the event, Nikita said, “I loved getting my hands dirty while cleaning up the vlei regularly … When I became part of the environmental club at school it was at first an escape from everyday challenges. It later became something deeper when I joined the Forum because then I got to be part of something greater than myself.

“Ten years later my daughter got to enjoy this beautiful space, seeing how it all became something that I remember as plans and meetings and after school clean ups has now become this beautiful serene space I can take my kids to … I could not be any more proud.”

As so often with planting events at Princess Vlei, there was a certain magic in the air on June 16. Perhaps it was the ring of mountains, from Muizenberg to Devil’s peak, so perfectly mirrored in the still water. Or the monarch butterfly exploring a Wilde Dagga flower, or two cormorants flying overhead through a drift of scattered clouds

Or perhaps it was the simple but powerful magic of people of all ages, from all walks of life, coming together to grow something new and restore a small, battered patch of ground to the glory that nature intended.

'Don’t litter, and respect nature and animals… Don’t chop down all the trees and keep birds safe and don’t pollute their homes …. Protect and look after the birds so that we don’t lose our birds….If we can protect the birds then we will have birds in the future.'

These are the simple but profound messages of several primary school learners who were part of our ‘Save the Birds’ game at Princess Vlei. Not yet in their teens, but these youngsters show more wisdom than many of our most powerful global leaders.

Forty-five learners, from Hillwood, Buck Road and Muhammadeyah Primary Schools, took part in the imaginative game, where they were 'time-travellers' from 200 years in the future, from a world where birds had been driven to extinction. Their task was to find out about birds: what they needed, what threatened them, and how to protect them to ensure that they did not go extinct.

The time travellers were met by the ‘Spirit Guide’ (aka Denisha Anand), a spirit with wisdom gathered from all the ages, who told them how the first indigenous people who lived near Princess Vlei lived in harmony with nature and looked after the plants, the butterflies and the birds. ‘But then new people came, who did not care for the land, who chopped down the forests and built in the wetlands… luckily, some of the new people were different. They learnt from the indigenous people, and have continued to try to protect nature where they can. That is why Princess Vlei is still here, and has not been built on by a shopping mall. So we must learn from the wisdom of the indigenous people, and keep searching for ways to live in harmony with earth and other creatures.’

The Supreme Time Lord (Brendan Bussy) explained that to the learners that they had travelled from a world where everything was different, and Princess Vlei was just concrete with no birds, insects or plants. He explained also that humans were cyborgs, and could not longer talk so they had to find other ways of communicating. Their important mission was to discover everything they could about birds, and to craft messages for the people of 2022 to ensure that there were still birds in 2222.

He warned them that they had to come running back to the time travelling ship when they heard the siren (a vuvuzela) as if they didn’t get through the time portal before it closed, they would be stuck in 2022

The children investigated the area in groups, and made many interesting observations and discoveries, which they later shared with the group. They were helped by the time lords, who were also sometimes their teachers. When the Vuvuzela sounded, they all charged back to get through the portal in time.

This exciting game, sustained by Brendon’s zany imagination and role playing abilities, is a wonderful way to help children think about the consequences of today’s actions for the future, and to realise that can play an important role in creating a future where nature and humans can flourish.

Below are some of the observations made by our keen-eyed time travellers.

Winter is planting month in Cape Town. During May and early June, the Forum hosted three planting events with community members and school learners as part of our efforts to restore the indigenous vegetation at Princess Vlei. This is the UN decade of restoration, and here at Princess Vlei we continue to do what we can to conserve biodiversity and restore our beautiful endemic fynbos. In July, we are planning the planting of a new site on the northern shore which will restore Cape Flats Sand Fynbos.

• This project is supported by the Kirstenbosch Branch of the Botanical Society, and by the Hans Hoheisen Charitable trust, managed by Nedbank Private Wealth.

 

A job for old people?
On May 7, seventeen community members came together to plant Protea seeds, Serruria foeniculacea (Rondevlei Spiderhead) and Chrysanthemoides monolifera (bietou) in the restoration plot nearby Briana Cresent.
    This plot on the northern shore was first planted last year, after the Forum cleared 1500 square metres of alien grasses and weeds. This site offers the opportunity to restore Cape Flats Sand Fynbos,  a critically endangered vegetation type only found on the lowlands of Cape Town. These unique habitats have been decimated by the expansion of urban Cape Town, which has left only small islands of Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, most of which is degraded. Restoring this endemic plant community is critical for ensuring the long term survival of many threatened species. This includes Serruria foeniculacea, which was declared extinct in the wild before being rediscovered at Rondevlei in the 1970’s.
    At the planting, our botanical consultant Alex Lansdowne, explained, 'the work today is ideally suited to old people, as we need to sit and patiently plug holes with hundreds of protea seeds.
   ‘These protea seeds operate on a principle of  survival in numbers.  In the fynbos, fire is not just about death. It makes a lot of nutrients available to the soil, animals that die provide food for birds of prey, and it release masses of protea seeds. A lot of mice and other animals eat them, and only about one in twenty are fertile. So we need to lots of holes for lots of seeds.'
    We had several very young participants, who fortunately seemed just as happy as their parents and grand parents to patiently plug the seeds into the holes!

Planting for our future
On May 16, fourteen learners from Lotus High came to Princess Vlei on May 16 to help us with  restoration planting. The learners were planting in the restoration site that was damaged by the City’s bulldozers in May last year.
   'Today we came to Princess Vlei to restore a few of the plants that used to grow here. We are planting grass to stop erosion of the shoreline. Maybe it will look beautiful next time we come,’ said Lotus High learner, Azriedien Gabier.
   School-mate Diedre Louw, commented, ‘We have come today to restore some plants to Princess Vlei because last year some bulldozers came to destroy our nature. … I like the outdoors and I like greenery so why not come plant something to help the ecosystem? Maybe there are some animals that we didn’t even know about, and by planting something they might come back and we will be able to see them.'

Alex Lansdowne told to the learners: ‘The penesetum is a wild relative of the kikuyu that grows in your school lawn. We’ve been growing them hydroponically, which means growing them in water, and feeding them worm tea. Planting them will stabilise the bank. If we don’t, it will continue to erode because of the wave action.’

After they’d finished planting, learners enjoyed skimming stones on the water across the vlei.

Nature-loving kids
On June 2, 15 different learners came from Lotus High to plant more grass on the eastern shore, and put in 400 seedling of the rain daisy, Dimorphotheca pluvialis. This promises a lovely display in September after the winter rains.  
    Speaking about the benefits of bringing learners to the Vlei, Lotus High science teacher Shafiek Isaacs said: ‘Princess Vlei is on our doorstep, so we can use it to teach kids about nature, and in that way they will teach their kids to take care of any environmental area they have… the work on the vlei is only a start. My learners propagate their own plants…
    'This year we have planted 63 trees around the school and in the area, our aim is plant 200 trees.
As kids get more involved, their life style chances, their eating habits change… everything is a lesson, I talk about climate change … so the kids eat less meat because of carbon emissions.
    'They are more hands on with their school work, because its practical, its not just theory, they’ll learn the names of plants. We must understand where they come from, they come from gang areas.  3 kids were recently shot and killed.  They don’t want to be at home, they’d rather stay at school until 6 o’clock They are nature loving kids, they just want to do environmental work.
     'It also helps with discipline. The kids are motivated to behave in class so that the can join the outings to Princess vlei.’

• 'I enjoyed drawing trees, making a fire. At school we don’t communicate a lot, but here we communicate. It's for us to make changes in the world, the older people don’t care. We need to look after the world, and we need to know know what to do for the plants.' - Chandre November, Lotus High
  

The Princess Vlei Forum hosted a camp with learners from Lotus high school from the 29th April to the 1st May at the Princess Vlei Eco centre. The learners are part of our Princess Eco Guardians Program which aims to cultivate custodianship and care for our environment amongst the youth.
     The camp program started with us setting the tone and objectives for the weekend. The learners agreed that fun came first and everything else would follow, I agreed! After postponing our camp twice due to covid it was important for us to create a space where our eco guardians had the opportunity to express themselves and unwind in nature. Our co facilitator Robin Moodley assisted us throughout the weekend with art jam sessions, where the learners had an opportunity to create art work based on observations made during their nature walks at the vlei.

    I facilitated various lessons from our Sunbird and Fynbos workbook where our eco guardians were able to explore the habitat, food and threats of sunbirds first hand during their stay at the vlei, they were also lucky enough to spot a malachite sunbird during free time in the sun!
Our lessons gave the learners an opportunity to use bird and fynbos field guides to identify and name the species in their books and to distinguish between male and female birds. The learners were also able to immerse themselves by being able to anser questions in the book by walking through the strandveld to find the answers.
     One of the highlights of our camp was taking our guardians out for a walk to the restoration site along Briana Ave. Some of the learners attending the camp were responsible for planting this plot and were in awe of the difference that their planting had made in the space of one year. The habitat was thriving with birds and pollinators and some plants already in flower!
    That moment allowed them to experience the impact of their presence and commitment to the vlei and to nature. I  think a lot made sense for some of them after seeing what planting tiny seedlings and dispersing even tinier seeds could do. Their custodianship became visible and they could see the impact that an act of care can have on the environment, while still having fun!

What the learners said

Chloe Dudley: I came here to learn and relax. I learnt about plants, and the kayaking was fun. I would tell my friends to come because they would learn about new plants, and new animals and sounds, and enjoy the fun part with their friends.

Jady Maans: I came to learn about nature and to have fun. The best part was when we went on a night walk. When I did kayaking I got stuck in the reeds, but I enjoyed it.

Shanon-lee Everson: I learnt about different kinds of plants, and learnt to focus a plant, The night walk was awesome, I wasn’t scared - when you connect with nature, you just feel safe. Last night we had a sing off around the fire, everybody together.
       We are also learnt about the leopard toad and the sunbird. Denisha told us to go out into PV to listen for Leopard toads, and if  we hear calls we have to help the Forum stop construction noise around the vlei. If we don’t stop it, the noise will chase the toads away, which we don’t want.
      We watched  a climate change clip, and it showed us how the world will be if we don’t make these changes, so we need to make these changes.  I did know about climate change, because last year we went on a strike and made a banner to say why we didn’t want climate change, but this video actually explained what it is and what we have to change. Development helps us, but we are part of nature just as nature is part of us, so we need stop whatever is hurting nature.

Jody Maans:  I was here before, and wanted to experience it again The best part was kayaking. I fell into the water, I enjoyed that. We should protect nature because it is beautiful. The food was very nice.

Jae-lee  Marthinus:  I came to learn more about nature, because in nature you can experience everything. I loved learning more about sunbirds, and the plants, and learning about climate change. The best part was kayaking. I liked learning how to use the paddle. I would tell my friends that they should learn to protect nature, stop littering and stop global warming and stuff like that. Nature is an environment where you can come and sit under a tree and hear the sounds of the birds and release your stress, you don’t think about your troubles.

Dierdre Louw: I wanted to learn more about taking care of nature and cleaning up the environment, and exposing the things that doesn’t belong, and taking out the plants that doesn’t belong. We learnt about different types of plants, I love drawing. I loved seeing the snake! It was a mole snake, here in the road. I would encourage everybody, to come to these camps, and learn about the plants. If you know something is in danger you can help it.

Chandre November: I enjoyed drawing trees and making a fire. At school we don’t communicate a lot, but here we communicate. It's for us to make changes in the world, the older people don’t care. We need to look after the world, and we need to know know what to do for the plants.

Paige Eden: I want to know all the plants, and spread the word to others to keep the plants safe, don’t damage them. I Loved the kayaking and enjoyed the world book and speaking about the plants, the Ericas and the geophytes. I would encourage my friends to come because my experience was the best.

‘My name is Leon Dingwall, from Sassmeer Estate.  The civic and surrounding area needed a total clean up particularly with the port Jackson growing out of control, and on behalf of our ratepayers association… I can say thanks very much to the people who rocked up here this morning to clear the area of alien vegetation, I think it was nice of them and the area does look much better for it.’
     Leon was one of several Sassmeer Estate residents who join the Hackathon Saturday, 9 April. He joined fifty others of all ages from various areas in clearing the Port Jacksons and litter in the dunes behind the Retreat Civic.
     The event was organised jointly by the Princess Vlei Forum and the Kirstenbosch Branch of the Botanical Society. We were also assisted by four people from the River Ambassador’s project managed by Nature Connect,. Their chains saws, strength and expertise were much appreciated.

    The event was well-supported by the City, with Ward Cllr Kevin Southgate, and PR Cllr Patricia Van der Ross who came with the team from her office. She is the Mayco member for Community health and Safety.
     Speaking to the People’s Post, Cllr Southgate said, ‘The hackathon is part of our ongoing commitment to remove the alien Port Jackson trees from within the Princess Vlei Park. It allows us to experience and enjoy the fynbos growing in the area.
    ‘Port Jacksons not only threaten the fynbos, but can create overgrown areas where antisocial activities can take place. “From the objects that we removed it is clear that [people] use the area to sort goods and burn wires which one assumes could be stolen copper.’  (People’s Post 12 April 2022)
    According to Alex Lansdowne, who co-ordinates the Princess Vlei Forum’s Fynbos Restoration Project, ‘the Princess Vlei Dunes to the south of the Vlei constitute the most intact vegetation, and contain 65% of all indigenous species occurring in the Greater Princess Vlei Conservation Area. Cape Flats Dune Strandveld is a critically endangered vegetation type and is endemic to Cape Town.  However large Port Jackson trees have been growing for many years in the dune slacks unmanaged. This is not only a threat to the biodiversity but aid also a safety concern, encouraging antisocial activities such as illegal dumping.
    ‘This hack expands the management profile of the Princess Vlei Forum to the Retreat & Sassmear side of the Vlei.’
    Also in attendance were four volunteers from a film direction company called Rewild Africa. In the words of Carter, Rewild Africa  ‘focusses on story telling and solutions to ecological restoration…we identify different community initiatives around ecological restoration and we identify opportunities to tell that story and share with the world so that people can be inspired in other parts of the world to do the same.
    ‘Here at the Princess Vlei and we have a whole community coming together to do invasive species removal, to make sure that this place remains biodiverse and beautiful. Its incredible to see all this community coming together, especially for a place with such rich cultural history.’
    After working hard for two hours, volunteers gathered at the Jolly Carp for some well earned refreshments and to share stories from the morning.
    By the end of the morning there were two large piles of felled Port Jacksons ready for collection by the CoCT team, as well as several bags of litter. Equally important, new community connections have been forged which will strengthen the network we need to actively conserve and restore these critical pockets of biodiversity.
   The Princess Vlei Forum would like to thank all those who came out to support the event, and to urge all community members to get involved in helping us conserve our highly threatened biodiversity. These beautiful plants not only sooth our souls, but are essential carbon sinks to help fight the growing threat of catastrophic climate change.

“We are Western Leopard Toads. Princess Vlei is a good place for us to live because there are lots of insects for us to eat. There is water where  we can breed, and soft reeds where we and our young ones can hide. But we need to watch out for big fish and snakes that might eat us.” - Hillwood Primary Learners
   On  March 10, 45 learners from four local schools discovered how to look at the world through they eyes of a different species. Some where leopard toads, some chameleons, masked weavers, double collared sunbirds, purple gallinules and dragon flies. They explored Princess Vlei to find out if they could live there as that species. They had to see if they could find the right food, places to hide for predators, a place to breed, nesting materials if their species built nests, and they had to check for any predators or other dangers.

The learners spent a great afternoon exploring the vlei with different eyes. Highlights of the afternoon included spotting a chameleon a crab, weavers, sunbirds, and several dragonflies as well as other birds and insects.
    Most felt that they vlei offered a good home for their species, but Grade 7 learner from Primrose Primary, Jodey McGrath was worried about the pollution. ‘Our bird might eat the plastic and die, and we don’t want that to happen’ he said.
     We asked the learners to look out for other possible homes for their species. A week later most said they had not seen good places in their communities where theses species could live. This highlighted the importance of a wetland like Princess Vlei to provide a habitat for animals and plants.
      On March 17, the learners gathered again to create mandalas, circular designs to show what each species needed to live. They used pastel crayons and coloured dyes to create bright and beautiful designs illustrating the food webs and ecosystems where these species can thrive

Bees, beetles, moths, butterflies… these were some of the busy pollinators that Harmony Grade 6 learners spotted at Princess Vlei on 24 February.

The learners were there to discover the wonders of pollinator activity at the vlei. They first examined Hibiscus flowers brought from a garden to investigate where the anatomy for the flower and discover how pollination leads to seed creation.

They were each assigned the identity of a pollinator, and asked to find flowers which that pollinator is drawn to. They were also asked to look out for any other pollinators on these and other plants.

The learners had a great morning, and discovered many other treasures at Princess Vlei, such as the bullrushes, birds and rattling seed pods of the kankerbos. The learners also discovered how frustrating it is as a pollinator not to find the flower you need for food or nectar, and why we need a rich diversity of plants to make sure that all our pollinator friends thrive, and can continue pollinating and promoting plant growth.

This week, the Princess Vlei Forum joins millions of others in mourning the loss of  Archbishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu and in paying tribute to his legacy. 

As an empathetic, tireless campaigner for human rights, whose hard hitting messages were always spiced with his irrepressible humour, Tutu recognised the link between environmental justice and social justice. Many know about his campaigns to raise awareness about climate change.  Less well known is that in 2013, he found time from his onerous schedule to issue a statement in support of the struggle to save Princess Vlei, saying, “I would like to express my support for the campaign to save the greater Princess Vlei area from the inappropriate development of a shopping mall, and for its protection in perpetuity as a nature and heritage park. Princess Vlei is a valuable place for citizens to come to be close to God and nature, to find peace and to build family and community. God has carefully crafted our universe; let us stop destroying our beautiful world for the sake of short-term profit. Let us use our laws to safeguard our natural and cultural heritage.”  Read more

In 2007 he coined the term ‘climate change apartheid’, pointing out not only the vast discrepancy in the carbon footprint of poor and rich nations, but also the vast discrepancy on what climate change would cost these nations. ‘Leaving the world’s poor to sink or swim with their own meagre resources in the face of the threat posed by climate change is morally wrong. Unfortunately, as the Human Development Report 2007/2008 powerfully demonstrates, this is precisely what is happening. We are drifting into a world of ‘adaptation apartheid’.’ (quoted in http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/we-do-not-need-climate-change-apartheid-adaptation)

Over the next 15 years,  Tutu actively supported for environmental rights and a just transition to a low carbon economy. His work included:

• Calling for disinvestment in fossil fuel companies and a boycott of events sponsored by them, comparing this to the boycotts that were used to help end apartheid.
• Petitioning U.S. President Barack Obama, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other leaders to set a target of 100% renewable energy by 2050 at the 2015 UN summit on climate change
• Using his platform on the international group, The Elders, to lobby world leaders to keep alive a path to the lowest 1.5-degree Celsius limit on global warming in the Paris pact.
• Devoting the 10 th annual Desmond Tutu international peace lecture to the theme of climate justice, giving a platform to young activists such as Ugandan Vanessa Nakate.

(see www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/prayers-petitions-boycotts-desmond-tutus-climate-activism-2021-12-30/)

Desmond Tutu never failed to remind us of our responsibilities to the earth and to each other. As he said in 2014, ‘Who can stop climate change? We can. You and you and you, and me. And it is not just that we can stop it, we have a responsibility to do so that began in the genesis of humanity, when God commanded the earliest human inhabitants of the Garden of Eden, "to till it and keep it". To "keep" it; not to abuse it, not to make as much money as possible from it, not to destroy it.’  
( quoted in https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/sep/21/desmond-tutu-climate-change-is-the-global-enemy)

The world has lost a true leader, a man of deep compassion who felt the pain of all fellow humans, and an inspired visionary. let us honour his legacy by taking up the struggle to defend the earth and its people against the destructive greed of the fossil fuel industry and all politicians who have been persuaded (or bribed) to serve it. 

‘This was our first time in a canoe and it was a great experience … it teaches teamwork, if there is no team work you’re not paddling, you’re just going round and round… Being on the water was great… I wished we could stay in there because it’s really nice.’
      This is what Lindsay Chwerenga, a Grade 11 learner from Heathfield High, had to say about her first experience of canoeing. The Princess Vlei Canoe Club was initiated in 2021 through a partnership between the Princess Vlei Forum, and Gravity Adventures. The Forum organises the learners, while Gravity Adventures supplies the canoes, life jackets and other equipment, and an awesome crew to manage the boats and instruct the learners.
      The project was launched in May with 20 learners from Heathfield High. Unfortunately, due to challenges linked to Covid, the weather and availability of teachers, we only managed one more session with Heathfield in the second term

In October, we revived the club with the Fairmount High Eco-club, thanks to the tireless efforts of Ms Rholda Gosain. Five sessions were run between October and December, with a total of 34 learners. Teachers also joined in.
      The canoe sessions give the learners a great opportunity to have fun while experiencing the beauty and tranquility of a natural area. They learn many useful skills such as co-ordinating their movements, navigation, and team work. We hope to continue with this project next year, and to include environmental activities such as clean ups and planting.
     Speaking of the Fairmount experience, Ms Gosain said, ‘The canoeing experience has brought such a lot of excitement in the lives of most of Fairmount's learners. I used the exercise to enlighten them about environmental concerns and it was such a fun way of highlighting the need to be environmentally aware. They loved it. I managed to get the attention of grades that I don't even teach. Thank you so much for affording us the opportunity.’
       Thanks to the teachers who helped to organise the learners; Gravity Adventures; WESSA for sponsoring the Gravity Team; and the Hans Hoheisen Charitable Trust managed by Nedbank Private Wealth for funding our educational work.