Planting seeds of growth and greenery for Chatsworth schools

In a focused effort to educate the community’s youth, the eThekwini Municipality’s Parks and Gardens as well as DSW, visited three schools in Chatsworth to plant wild plum trees, also known as forest giants. The schoolchildren were educated on pollution and taught about its ramifications for the environment, flora and fauna.

They were also encouraged to join in and get their hands dirty as the trees were planted and watered. Erica Primary School was one of the schools that hosted the municipality, with the principal, Mr A Soodhoo, having spoken to the Rising Sun about what it means to the school and its pupils to be part of the beautification and ecological education of Chatsworth.

“It was wonderful to see people get involved with the children, teaching them values that will have a tangible, lasting impact on their lives. We are blessed to have been given these trees, which will assist us in maintaining the school’s environment for years to come,” said Soodhoo.

Mrs K Govender, the principal of Cavendish Primary School, says that the educational talk served to bring home to the school’s children that food is not store-bought but has its origins in the soil.

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“Your visit to our school brought home to the pupils the benefits of living in harmony with nature and protecting our environment. The pupils enjoyed getting their hands dirty by physically being involved in the planting of trees in our school. This has been a memorable experience for us all, including the enormous benefits it has brought by uplifting the environment,” added Govender.

South Durban Basin area basin management project leader, Irene Chetty, expressed her appreciation to each school for allowing them to inspire the pupils and make a difference.

She has stated that there are plans to form an Environmental Club moving forward, to ensure that all pupils learn, grow and make a difference to the environment.

Five of the trees were planted at Erica Primary School, with a further eight being planted at Rose Heights Primary, and another eight at Cavendish Primary. The fastgrowing evergreen trees bear fruit that are loved by many birds and animals.

The trees, as explained by those involved in the planting process, can grow up to 20m tall, with their dense canopies providing excellent shade, which the municipality hopes will be enjoyed by many generations to come.