The community of the western region (Bophirima and Kgalagadi districts) in North West province initiated a Devil’s Claw project with the assistance of the provincial Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Tourism in 1999. The project membership is currently 700 people, scattered around the Bophirima and Kgalagadi districts.
The aim of the project is to improve the production yield by domesticating and propagating Devil’s Claw tubers from the veld. Devil’s Claw is processed into a useful medicine for treatment of diseases such as sugar diabetes, hepatitis and arthritis.
The project aims to support job creation, reduce poverty and improve the economy of the rural communities of Bophirima and Kgalagadi. These districts include the main villages of Ganyesa, Dithakong, Batlharos, Cassel, Gamorona, Camden and Deuningvlei.
Community members in these areas have been harvesting Devil’s Claw from the veld without proper harvesting equipment or protective clothing. With the help of the Department of Science and Technology, harvesting equipment and protective clothing were bought.
The local Chief of Ganyesa, Chief Letlhogile, has allocated 40 hectares of land to the community for the establishment of a processing plant as well as for cultivating a Devil’s Claw plantation. Thirty-five hectares are for the setting up of the processing plant facilities, which include the processing structure, the office and storage place.
Training of harvesters was conducted for 42 participants and lasted for five weeks. Topics included sustainable harvesting and financial business management. The aim of the course was to assist the harvesters in financial issues and sustainable harvesting.
The Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Tourism has assisted the Devil’s Claw harvesters with access to an export market which is currently in operation. They sell their produce in Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Scandinavia, North America, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Middle East, South Africa and other African countries.
Letsema gives Pilanesberg Environmental Education Centre a facelift
The North West Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Tourism, in conjunction with other departments and stakeholders, embarked on the Letsema project on November 8 and 9 2004. The objective — to give the Pilanesberg Environmental Education Centre a facelift, in line with Batho Pele principles and in order to increase access to information.
The education centre, which was opened in 1984, is used to teach students the role conservation can play in their lives and the importance of wildlife. The quest to make South Africa a better country needs people who are willing to get their hands dirty and to fight to ensure that we all reap the benefits of a healthy and clean South Africa.
People across the North West province and from other provinces have the opportunity to use the centre for different programmes, such as global climate change, learning for sustainable living, waste management, school environmental policy and sustainable natural resource management. The centre also offers game drives, bird watching and accommodation.
The main objective of this centre is to provide a suitable institution for the integration of environmental education into the curriculum. It also creates an opportunity to market, network and interact with clients and stakeholders and other interested and affected parties.
As the national government is encouraging people to volunteer in working together for a better life for all and to accelerate change, this was the department’s way of encouraging its staff members to work for themselves, and to minimise costs. Another objective was to promote team building and to make clients aware of different programmes offered at the environmental education centres.
The Pilanesberg centre was repainted, the carpets were vacuumed, windows cleaned, trees pruned and the lawn mowed. Leaking taps were fixed and the roof revamped. At the end of the first day, the centre looked like new. All the volunteers made sure that the objective of Letsema was reached.
It is envisaged that the centre will yield bright fruits for those participating in environmental education programmes. Our youth in the North West province will learn more about conservation and environment, and this will assist them in making informed decisions in terms of sustaining natural resources and growth development. Youths are encouraged to embrace and respect nature for the sake of coming generations.
From the Pilanesberg Environmental Centre, Letsema headed to the Buxton Environmental Education Centre in Taung at the end of November 2004.