LandCare Areawide Planning looks at the big picture and considers all of the factors that affect the resource issues.
Individuals and communities are encouraged to look beyond the fencerow and identify where the real sources and solutions to their problems and opportunities lie. LandCare Areawide Planning provides local people the process to assess their natural resource concerns and determine what conditions they desire and formulate alternatives to achieve their goals. Locally led conservation is a concept whereby local people lead the planning process based on locally identified needs.
Goals of the Landcare group:
Sustainable agriculture:
The focus of the LandCare is address commonly issues in this area which will include pest plant and animal control, maintaining and improving soil health, farm planning, and salinity and erosion control.
Environmental stewardship:
LandCare will address local environmental issues with a view to conserving biodiversity on private and public land, commonly through the protection of remnant vegetation, re-vegetation, and protecting the habitat of threatened species.
Community education:
Community education remains the highest goal of the LandCare initiative.
Education activities aim to raise awareness of local environmental issues and build the knowledge and skills of landholders.
Community well-being:
Community well-being has emerged more recently as a goal of many LandCare groups and networks, especially those affected by drought, bushfire or flood. Groups and networks will contribute greatly to community well-being in many ways, particularly in the distribution of information and maintaining connectivity in affected communities.
This is a follow-up on the last post regarding the concern that has been expressed regarding the perceived increase in crime in the area. It is clear from crime statistics released in Parliament yesterday that the Ward 2 area is not unique in this regard; crime is generally on the increase nationally. Whilst we understand the decline in the economic outlook, unemployment and general degeneration of the social structures of communities, many aspects of the challenge can be addressed immediately.
The Ward 2 Community Safety Partnership (Ward CSP, a Ward 2 Forum initiative) advertised a while ago for contributions re initiatives to target crime and got overwhelming participation. We were able to identify several aspects of the challenge that faces us as a community. In a bid to curb and at least reverse the crime trend, some remedial actions need to be taken as a matter of urgency. Many of these actions identified will increase vigilance and will serve as proactive deterrents in managing the current challenges.
It is further recognised that many of the proposed solutions will be longer-term projects that would ultimately focus on the root causes of the social dysfunctionality and criminal activity. However, initial initiatives will focus vigilance and crime prevention through immediate action.
As a result of and in line with the above, we have been able to negotiate with LRV Security to introduce Dog Patrols to identified areas initially. The service is expected to be implemented by the end of October 2016.
In the interim, staff will be trained and the required registration completed to comply with the stringent legislative requirements needed to implement the service.
Should you wish to find out more about this initiative or would like to participate in the project please contact us on the following:
With the ongoing concern about the Solid Waste Management within the Ward 2 area, the Ward 2 Forum in conjunction with the Transformation Committee, other member organisations and concerned residents of the area have monitored the Genadendal Landfill site on a periodic basis.
The situation of Solid Waste in the Ward 2 area has worsened particularly over the last 8 months. Waste volumes have increased and the management thereof reduced. Ward 2 Forum submitted to the Local authority a full Viability Report on this with proposals in March 2016, after the debacle of the proposed Solid Waste drop-off at the entrance to the Greyton Village. This was not the first time though as a similar Project Presentation Report was submitted in 2008/9 by Derek Crabtree and George Juries to TWK through the then Ward Committee (Caroline Wood being the councillor at that stage).
The area contaminated has grown substantially, with still no fencing of the area to assist in curbing the pollution of the surrounding area by windblown plastic and paper and the keeping out of those Animals roaming and rummaging through the waste. See Videos below showing the current situation. Yet, the oxidation ponds in Greyton have partial fencing topped with razor wire.
CONCLUSION
A concerted effort is now urgently required by all interested and affected parties. The Ward 2 Forum is currently engaging with Province and Boetie Bantam to assist in finding a workable, viable and sustainable solution for the Sorting and Recycling (S&R) of Solid Waste for the Ward 2 area. The legislative requirements are prohibitive in starting a large scale project but allows for smaller projects to be operated without having to go through the prescribed EIA, scoping and application exercise.
Our problems are compounded by the fact that both the Greyton and Genadendal Landfill Sites, in terms of the Waste Management Licence (WML) granted to TWKM on the 14th November 2014, are scheduled to be decommissioned by the year 2019. The WML for the closure of the Facility by TWKM was submitted as part of the final Basic Assessment Report dated 1 April 2014, and must be implemented together with all the conditions stipulated. For which there is, we believe, no budget for any of the requirements.
Although the proposal in the Environmental Management Programme (EMP) is generic and as such, the various design features should be properly assessed, to include the following:
Future waste should be sorted rather than disposed of.
Waste salvaging should be reconsidered as a possible way of reducing the existing waste volumes.
The fence should be erected but allowing easy access by the community to the facility at all times, otherwise illegal dumping may increase in the area.
The rehabilitation of the site must be done with local indigenous plants.
And much more – rebuilding of the pipe culvert over the Scholtz, security system (gate and attendant), construction of a disposal cell including clay liner and engineered drainage, monitoring of ground pollution at specific boreholes.
For this to be achieved we, the Ward 2 Forum, invite all individuals, organisations and associations to assist in a participatory process to find workable solutions to the ever increasing challenge of Solid Waste management in our area.
A very positive project that would require the assistance of a specific and specialised group of individuals from our area is the Landcare Initiative being championed by the Department of Agriculture of the Western Cape Provincial Government. The Ward 2 Forum was invited to be part of the Transformation Committee delegation to attend the inaugural Plenary Workshop session held at Gabrielskloof.
The Landcare initiative is an Areawide Planning methodology that aims to include all role players and affected parties and will remain a community-based initiative. Additional information on this will be published on the Ward 2 Forum platform.
Should you wish to participate in the Solid Waste project or any other of the Ward 2 Forum initiatives please contact us on the following email:
The Ward 2 Forum Team is pleased to announce its participation in funding and mentoring of an Agricultural Project with members of the Voorstekraal community.
This is a pilot project that allows the agricultural sector of the Voorstekraal Community to participate in an opportunity to access allocated agricultural land with the aim of encouraging individuals to work fallow land to produce food and provide employment. The initial project will entail the tilling, fertilising and planting the 5 ha of land, comprising 3 ha of potato, 1 ha green beans and 1 ha of butternut.
We will keep you informed on the progress of the project. Should you wish to participate in this, other similar projects, or just need further information please do not hesitate to contact the team on info@ward2forum.org
The Ward 2 Forum is pleased to announce that the work of the Boschmanskloof Sports Field has been started. This is a joint venture project between the Ward 2 Forum and the Boschmanskloof Rugby Club. The initial phase of levelling the facility has been completed and now enables volunteers to start with the grass planting process.
This facility, once completed, will not only allow the communities of Boschmanskloof and Heuwelkroon to benefit by being able to host sports activities within the communities but will also enable them to cater for social events such as the annual Moravian Church bazaar. It is further envisaged that informal sports activities will be encouraged by the Local Rugby Club to foster and promote sports among the youth of these two communities.
Should you wish to part of this initiative or volunteer in the grass planting process, or want to receive more on these and other projects of the Ward 2 Forum please email us at the following address info@ward2forum.org
