THE banks of the Umgeni River are the last place you’d expect to find a vegetable garden, but a new project by the Economic Development Unit’s Transformative Riverine Management Programme (TRMP) is bearing fruit – well, in this case, vegetables.
A group of Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers, who are called the Connaught Bridge EnviroChamps, under the Amanzi Ethu Nobuntu (TRMP), have been making meaningful change along the banks of the river with various projects and initiatives aimed to stop illegal dumping as well as removing alien invasive plants which dot the footpaths and bushes along the river.
The team works hand in hand with Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), Durban Green Corridors and Tri-Eco Tours.
The thriving vegetable garden is looked after by the team who mapped out the parameters of the garden which was previously an illegal dump site.
Nondumiso Nzuza, a supervisor in charge of the group, said the Change Project was about making a meaningful impact on the environment.
“When we began our work, we discovered this dump site just metres away from Riverside Road. People were obviously parking in the public lot and illegally offloading rubbish down the banks into this spot. For several months, we have been clearing alien invasive species and picking up rubbish to the point where we identified this particular spot to form this vegetable garden,” she said.
The team have meticulously laid out the garden using tires, bricks and pot plants and have now grown carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, cabbage and chillies.
“The hope is to use these items to support soup kitchens in and around the ward. Our work has also led us to identify illegal dump sites within the Briardene Informal Settlement which warrant attention,” she said. “We are really proud of the work we’ve accomplished so far as well as the relationships we’ve formed with WESSA and Green Corridors. We’ve learnt so much, which we can now take back to our communities and spread the change there.”
