Centurion neighbourhood gets attention of National Arbor City Awards
Residents in Eldoraigne have built at least 11 gardens through working together to look after the community that they live in.
A ward in Centurion is making waves with its community gardens ahead of the National Arbor City Awards for 2023.
Ward 69, through various community projects and resident initiatives, has created 11 gardens in public spaces in Eldoraigne.
Ward councillor Cindy Billson said that the projects were about more than the environmental impacts of looking after these spaces.
“For me, it is not just about greening the city, but about creating environments that are safe spaces for residents to live in.
“I am working with the broken window theory: If you target places that are derelict, you can change them into positive spaces.”
The National Arbor City Awards (Naca) was established in 2002 by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to promote environmental greening in South Africa.
Part of the judging criteria for the awards will focus on the advancement of the Ten Million Trees Programme, a directive from the Presidency for the planting of 10 million trees in five years.
Billson said that the community took the reins and worked hard to make an impact in their neighbourhood.
Initially, the focus was to create an environment where people feel safe and that they can enjoy their time in.
“The other aim was to get people together, to create community cohesion while they work together,” said Billson.
She said one of her favourite examples was a garden in Van Der Merwe Street near Saxby Road where plants were sourced from the community.
“The city provides trees and some plants here and there, but it is so special that so much came from the community,” explained Billson.
Other initiatives in the area include the Adopt and Plant a Tree campaign where local children were given adoption certificates for their trees.
“Most of them have kept with it and it gives them something to enjoy in the community to do their part. It’s something that they get to look after and grow as part of the community.”
The Eldo Urban Community Garden was established by residents in the area who came together to make it happen.
Jenny Bowker, a resident who has been part of the project since the beginning, said that the community has grown closer.
“The garden is used for community runs and braais where the security that looks after our community are also invited.”
The garden is maintained by community members and the grass is regularly cut by the residents that live on each side of the garden.
The Eldo18 Adopt-a-spot project aimed to turn a dilapidated spot with illegal vendors’ waste dumping site into a park where trees were planted, with a pathway for community members to use.
Estcourt Park saw the planting of ecologically diverse plants and trees to establish a vibrant green park.
Other projects saw the area at the end of Frederick Street at Hoërskool Zwartkop changed from a barren space that attracted littering to a clean space planted with indigenous trees and plants.
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