Pinetown’s plant expert off to greener pastures
Dr Michael Leech worked his way up from labourer to chief horticulturalist.
MICHAEL Leech, chief horticulturalist in Mariannridge retired at the end of August, after obtaining his doctoral degree while in the employment of the council.
Michael, who is passionate about the environment, worked his way up from a labourer in Pretoria where he first started work and then became a student horticulturalist in Pretoria. When he qualified, he came to work in Pinetown and was promoted from horticulturalist to senior to chief.
His recent thesis is on urban agriculture, the new phenomenon in South Africa. He originally trained in America on a scholarship of the Community Association and then came back and implemented what he learnt part time before being transferred to agricultural section, where he was employed to do urban agriculture full time.
“Urban Agriculture is growing of food within a built-in environment for poor people to sustain themselves, especially unemployed people,” said Leech.
His thesis was published at the beginning of this year and he received his official doctorate in environmental management on 22 August.
“I felt proud considering the amount of hard work I put into it. This was my second research project. My first one for my masters was on development strategy for playground provision,” said Leech.
He said after his second thesis, he became concerned with the council not taking environmental legislature into consideration with the roll out.
“At the end of my research, I found in terms of the Municipal Legislature Act, the council is not addressing what the people on the ground need. Council departments operate in silos – they don’t operate across departmental boundaries which is having a negative affect on the environment. It’s like the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing,” said Leech.
Currently, Leech is continuing his research work on Arborculture (all aspects of trees) at Mongusthu University of Technology. He is also assisting students with practical training and research.
He said he owed this achievement to his wife, Ina, and daughter, Laetitia, for without their support, he wouldn’t have been able to complete his doctorate.
