/ 4 June 2010

From a dump to a paradise oasis

Not for profit merit award: Bishopscourt Village Residents’ Association.

Once it was a dumping ground and a security risk. Now, it’s a ‘little bit of paradise”.

The Liesbeek River, the oldest urbanised river in South Africa, has been transformed — thanks to the efforts of the Bishopscourt Village Residents’ Association.

For many years the inhabitants of Bishopscourt were worried about the state of their river. For a while, they tried ignoring the problem but in 2004 they decided to take action.

They founded the association, a non-profit organisation, and began a long process to restore the environment. None of this would have been possible without funding.

Slowly but steadily it came — from local estate agents, city council grants, the Roland Leta Hill Trust, the Personal Trust and the Nussbaum Foundation. Most importantly, perhaps, were the substantial donations from Bishopscourt Village residents themselves.

The association’s first challenge was to replace alien vegetation with indigenous riverine flora. River banks were cleared, indigenous shrubs were planted and slowly the face of the Liesbeek began to change.

Cleaner, greener and healthier, it began to attract visitors. In 2004 and 2005 association members built two stepped paths down to the river. Today the association hosts garden clubs, scout groups and school children.

The Friends of the Liesbeek also leads guided tours through the oasis, where 150 indigenous trees are already tall. And there’s no shortage of volunteers, including locals and visitors, who are willing to help with clean-ups, weeding and erecting fences.

What makes this project unique is its impact, not only on a communal level, but on an individual level too. The initiative has provided much-needed employment and skills development.

Matthews Moetsi, a local river worker, manages and implements environmental improvements. He has been with the project since March 2004 and has attended two courses on propagation and nursery techniques and landscape maintenance.

Thanks to a council grant and donations from residents and visitors, Moetsi’s brother has also been hired to help. The association is determined that the Liesbeek should be enjoyed by everyone, especially those who face special challenges, such as people in wheelchairs, the elderly and mothers with prams.

Once they might have been excluded, but not now. In March 2007 Cape Town’s mayor, Helen Zille, opened a 65m wheelchair access path to the riverine garden.

The Bishopscourt Village river project has received many environmental awards and commendations, including the Cape Times/Caltex Environmental Award and a special recognition award in the 2005 Gardens of Pride competition by Pam Golding
Properties/Home Loans from Absa.

The project has had a significant impact on local residents. Working together on the transformation of their river has developed a community spirit and the Liesbeek is not only their ‘place for relaxation, fresh air and socialising”, it is also a symbol of their commitment to the wellbeing of the planet.