Some of the young team members on a mission to clear isolated spots in Pietermaritzburg townships and use them to create vegetable gardens in a Unicef-sponsored initiative.
Durban — A UN Children’s Fund-backed initiative is enabling environmental activists to tackle isolated and neglected spots in Pietermaritzburg townships, turning them into vegetable gardens.
Young people from Ashdown and Imbali who are participating said the project was already bearing fruit.
The 23-member team, led by Siyabonga Ngubane, identifies spots and talks to people who live there to get buy-in for their effort.
“This spot was becoming a nuisance with overgrown vegetation and was attracting unsavoury characters, and we decided to deal with it by clearing the vegetation and planting vegetables,” Ngubane said.
Months down the line, the fertile spot is producing healthy vegetables for group members or anyone in Ashdown in need.
He said littering was a problem in Ashdown, like many other townships, but he insisted this would not tire them in their quest to teach communities about the dangers of littering and dumping harmful substances in rivers.
“This is why we are now focusing on pupils, because we know talking to them when they are young means there is a good chance of them adopting habits that are in line with the message of clean surroundings,” Ngubane said.
He added that they hoped to involve more people who lived near rivers to help them understand the importance of clean surroundings.
“It is not going to be easy but we will take it a day at a time and hopefully, with time, more areas and spaces will be litter and dense vegetation-free,” he said.
Activist Madoda Hlophe said he was delighted to be part of the project, adding that nature conservation was close to his heart.
“When I heard of the project it was automatic for me to join and it is nice to know you are doing your bit to keep the environment clean,” he said.
Zinhle Ndlela, who started trying to spread the message nearly 20 years ago, said it was refreshing to see youngsters keen to tackle the problems associated with littering.
“In most cases one does not find young people keen on agricultural activity or cleaning the environment.
“Given what I have seen over the past few months, I am positive this project will be a success and most likely be replicated in other parts of the township,” said the 52-year-old.
She stressed the important role such gardens played in many township households battling food security, and called for more of these initiatives to be spread across different parts of Pietermaritzburg.
“The fact is hunger knows no boundaries when it attacks, which is why we are glad to see interventions such as this,” she said.
The project is run under the Dusi-uMgeni Conservation Trust, a Pietermaritzburg-based environmental advocacy which also conducts workshops and awareness campaigns on the need to keep rivers and the overall environment clean.
Independent on Saturday
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