Planting for the youth

This planting helps us remember the struggles the youth have had, from fighting against the apartheid regime, til now fighting to get employment…. Planting here helps to celebrate them and to show that they have a purpose in this world.’   Kamva Nose

June 16 2026, the 50th anniversary of the Soweto uprising, was a beautiful day. There was a festive air at Princess Vlei, as scores of community members turned out to enjoy the recently opened walkway. A phalanx of young runners, dog walkers, families with strollers and toddlers, old friends walking together … the whole time we were planting, there was a steady stream of passers by. 
        It was a far cry from the tragic moment in Soweto 50 years ago, when police opened fire on school children and Hector Petersen became  the first of many young people to be sacrificed in the fight for freedom. And yet,  both the act of protesting and planting are acts of hope for a better future. 

The youth of 1976, and those that followed, faced a seemingly insurmountable enemy. Their immediate demands were simple - the refusal to be instructed in Afrikaans. But underlying that was a yearning for freedom, for the right to self governance, the right to dignity, the right to life. While our first democratic elections in 1994 was a significant milestone in this quest for freedom, they did not deliver the society the youth were striving for. Young people all over South Africa still face a bleak future, with few choices and fewer opportunities. The older generation - ironically the ’76 generation - continues to fail them, through greed, or corruption, or lack of imagination. And perhaps the biggest betrayal is the destruction of the planet through climate change, extractivism and pollution. A destruction which threatens all future generations with scarce resources, hunger, and unlivable conditions. 
    As we face so many crises in our country and our world, the act of planting, or restoring one small patch of ground to a place of liveliness and beauty, may seem futile. And yet, every plant we put in the ground is a promise to future generations. A promise that this world is worth saving, That every plant, insect, bird we save is critical for weaving a livable world, a world in which humans and all other species can flourish. 
    About forty people gathered on the southern shore of Princess Vlei, to plant over two hundred seedlings, including Jordaaniellia dubia, Ruschia macowanii, Pelargonium capitatum, Serruria foeniculacea, Helichrysum patulum, Pelargonium capitatum, and Pelargonium triste. Volunteers also pulled out a substantial pile of the highly invasive lupins. Amongst the volunteers were fifteen conservation students from CPUT, future guardians of our natural world. 
    One of the volunteers was Kamva Nose, who interned with the Princess Vlei Forum last year. In his words, ‘Celebrating and remembering our youth is important especially as we feel quite neglected. There are many things that impact the youth, such as the high rate of unemployment, but actions like this actually empower youth, and help them know that they have a purpose. And what a way to give back to mother earth, and to our communities, by ensuring that our natural sites are protected, they are restored, and they are celebrated. This is our heritage. Fynbos is unique to us, we have to own it, be proud of it. 
    ‘Involving the youth shows them that they are the future generation, and this helps them take care of the future. It gives them purpose, takes them away from destruction, gives them a safe haven to feel and connect to themselves again, to touch soil, to smell the grass, to have joyful meeting with other youth. The efforts of the PVF are important to help us remember the struggle the youth had, from fighting against the apartheid regime, til now fighting to get employment…. This helps to celebrate them and to show that they have a purpose in this world.’

• Thank you to everyone who took part, and to the Kirstenbosch Branch of the Botanical Society of South Africa for funding the plants.