INK Environmental Sustainability Booklet [19 MB] - Durban

MAYOR’S FOREWORD 

We are living in an age where we are witnessing 

extreme changes in the weather patterns. We have 

seen how eThekwini has come to be at the receiving 

end of torrential rains, rough seas and sometimes 

extremely strong winds. No one is spared the damaging 

effects of these phenomena, our communities; both 

rich and poor are always the hardest hit. 

Researchers and Scientists are already predicting a 

grim future if no action is taken. It is said that climate 

change could lead to provinces such as Mpumalanga, Limpopo, the North West, 

KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng becoming malaria zones by 2050. 

This would also have an effect on our fauna and flora, as at least 100 species 

of plants would become extinct. But it is never too late to reverse the damage. We 

would definitely be taking a step in the right direction if every individual in every 

community took it upon themselves to address some of the critical environmental 

challenges at a local level. 

The Environmental Outreach Programme that has been initiated by our INK 

Urban Renewal team is an excellent start. I would urge our communities in the 

townships of Inanda, Ntuzuma, KwaMashu to heed the of planting community 

gardens, saving energy and greening the INK area. 

As government the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) guides us in all our 

endeavours to make the lives of our people better. This includes ensuring that we 

do not compromise environmentally sensitive areas in our development projects. 

We ask our communities to also ensure that we continue to have this 

environmental sustainability. Our environment is important, not only to us, but for 

future generations as well, it is therefore important that we leave behind a legacy 

of a clean environment. 

His Worship The Mayor, Cllr Obed Mlaba

Acknowledgements 

The eThekwini Municipality would like to express its gratitude to the many people 

who have contributed to the development and compilation of the environmental 

booklet. 

We hereby thank the following people amongst others for their time and effort: 

Michael Sutcliffe, Soobs Moonsammy, Dr Debra Roberts, Linda Mbonambi, Shikar 

Singh, Asha Mistri, Julia Glenday, Mzekelo Madikane, Councillors, Community 

Leaders, Volunteers and Service Providers. 

Designed and typeset by

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Why the INK Environment is So Important .....................................................2 

How You Can Become Environmentally Sustainable .....................................6 

Green & Productive Gardens in INK .................................................................7 

The Benefits of Trees .......................................................................................7 

Trees – plant more of these .......................................................................8 

Edible Gardens .............................................................................................13 

Assessing Your Soil ..................................................................................13 

Treating Your Soil ....................................................................................15 

Caring for Your Soil .................................................................................16 

Capturing Water .....................................................................................19 

Growing Vegetables ................................................................................21 

Growing Vegetables from Seeds ..............................................................24 

Growing Herbs and Spices ......................................................................25 

Growing Medicinal Plants ........................................................................27 

Controlling Pests and Diseases ................................................................29 

Composting ........................................................................................... 37 

Your Own Seedling Nursery ..........................................................................39 

Selling Your Produce .....................................................................................41 

Being environmentally friendly in INK ..........................................................44 

Water: The Blue Gold .........................................................................................44 

Rivers Are Important .....................................................................................47 

Saving Energy ....................................................................................................49 

How Much Does Energy Cost? .....................................................................49 

Saving Energy to Save Money and the Earth .................................................50 

Setting Yourself Up with Solar Energy Systems ..............................................53 

Your Own Solar Panel ..............................................................................53 

Your Own Solar Water Heater .................................................................53 

Reducing Waste and Recycling ...........................................................................54 

Waste Matters ..............................................................................................54 

What is Your Rubbish and Where Does it Go? ..............................................55 

How You Can Reduce, Re-use and Recycle Waste .........................................58 

Making Good Neighbours ..................................................................................59 

Understanding and Protecting Your River – A Schools Project .............................61 

Workshop Outline ...................................................................................61 

Workshop Materials ................................................................................62 

Resources and Useful Contacts ................................................................63 

Workshop Activities ................................................................................63 

Bibliography .......................................................................................................73 

1

WHY THE INK ENVIRONMENT 

IS SO IMPORTANT 

The environment is the place where we all live. The better the state of the 

environment, the better the quality of life we will have. This is because people use 

and depend on the environment in a number of ways, for example: 

clean & healthy rivers 

Clean and healthy rivers in our neighbourhoods are safe places for children to 

swim, and for people to collect water for free to use at home – BUT dirty and 

unhealthy rivers cannot be enjoyed for swimming and the water is not safe to 

use at home. 

Gardens where the soils have been looked after produce good crops for people 

to eat and sell – BUT places where the topsoil has washed away or been 

damaged by poor agricultural practices do 

not produce good crops, and have to be 

left alone to recover. 

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ink sustainability handbook 

Trees and plants make shade that cool down our streets, houses and gardens, 

and makes a more comfortable and pretty environment for us to live in – BUT 

where there are no trees and plants it is hot and dusty. 

So, the environment produces many different goods (like water and wood) and 

services (like protection from floods, and fertile soils for agriculture) that people need 

in order to have a good, safe place to live and work. If we damage the environment 

by taking too much from it, or by putting too much of our waste into it, the amount 

and quality of the goods and services that it can produce will decrease - but where 

we manage to achieve a balance between what the environment can produce and 

what we take from it/put back into it – then we have a thing called ‘Environmental 

Sustainability’. This is important if we want to make sure that we protect and 

enhance the quality of our living environments for ourselves and our children. 

The INK area faces some special challenges when planning how we can achieve 

Environmental Sustainability. One of these challenges is the high density of people 

living in the area: 18% of eThekwini’s population is squeezed into the INK area, 

which contains just 3% of eThekwini’s land area. This means that there are, on 

average, about 7,000 people living in each square kilometre of INK, which is six 

times higher than anywhere else in eThekwini. 

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why the ink environment is so important 

(including the Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (INK) area) 

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Another challenge is sanitation servicing. While the entire INK area is serviced with 

either pit latrines or waterborne sewerage, much of this infrastructure is old and 

problems with it causes frequent and intense pollution of streets and rivers, as well 

as people’s private property. 

The high population density, sanitation servicing problems and high levels of 

unemployment in the INK area, point towards a high dependence of INK’s residents 

on the environment to provide goods and services. However, the coverage of natural 

ecosystems that produce good quantity and quality of environmental services is low. 

This has resulted in a number of environmental issues that result in significant costs 

and risks being borne by local residents and the eThekwini Municipality. If we are to 

address these problems and move towards a better quality of life and Environmental 

Sustainability in the INK, we must take action. 

Individuals that take action at home, groups of children that take action at school, 

and businesses that get involved can make a massive difference. Sustainability starts 

with the individual! 

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HOW YOU CAN BECOME 

ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE 

You can make a big contribution to making the world a better place for yourself, 

your neighbours and your children. 

This book presents lots of ideas and action plans for YOU to use in becoming 

more environmentally sustainable. By implementing just some of these, you can 

make a difference to the quality of your living and working environment, and make 

your neighbourhood a better place for everybody. You can also save money and 

become more healthy, just by following some of the tips in this book. 

Rumour has it that if you are going to try to eat an elephant, you should start by 

taking small bites. The moral of this story is that you should never be daunted by a 

problem that seems bigger than you, and should start with just a few small actions 

– which after a while make the problem much more manageable! The idea of making 

yourself more environmentally sustainable is just like this – it may seem impossible 

now, but a few small steps is all it takes to start moving towards your goal. 

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GREEN AND PRODUCTIVE 

GARDENS in ink 

People need trees and plants. Not only do they produce the oxygen that we breathe, 

but we also eat them, enjoy their shade, use them for medicine, for building houses, 

for beautifying our gardens and neighbourhoods, and for making fires to cook 

with and keep warm. YOU can decide what you want plants to do for you – and 

with very little effort you will be able to reap the benefits of having a green and 

productive garden. 

THE BENEFITS OF TREES 

Trees are a very important part of our environment, providing critical goods and 

services to people. The following is a list of the benefits that trees provide, and a 

guide to the kinds of trees that you can plant which are good for providing certain 

types of benefits. 

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making green and productive gardens 

Trees – Plant More of These! 

Trees can be planted almost anywhere, but you should take some time to plan where 

to put your trees so that they will provide the most benefits to you, your house, 

school, street or garden. Fruit trees can be planted together in an orchard, or you 

can plant trees together in a line to protect your house or vegetable garden from 

wind, a noisy road or dusty place next door. You can also make sure to choose trees 

that will give you the things that you want most, like shade, flowers or wood. 

Planting trees is easy: 

1. Dig a hole as large as possible (at least 50cm wide and 60cm deep). 

2. Break up the soil at the bottom of the hole and wet the inside of the hole. 

3. Mix about 6 spades of compost or manure with the soil at the bottom of the 

hole. 

4. Plant the tree in the hole and fill the hole with the left over soil or compost. 

5. If the tree is tall or skinny, tie it to a stake to keep the tree upright. 

6. Place a thick mulch of compost, newspaper or cut grass around the base of the 

tree, but keeping it away from touching the stem. 

7. Water the tree very well and water often over the next month as the roots 

become established. 

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Benefits from Trees 

Symbol 

Provide oxygen for people to breathe, and take pollution out of the air. 

All trees can do this, but the bigger the tree and the more leafy it is, the better the service that 

it can provide. You can make the air around your house more healthy by having a garden fi lled 

with trees! 

Make shade, which cools our environment down. 

All trees make shade, but bigger trees that do not lose their leaves in winter make the best 

shade trees; as do those with fl at, spreading crowns. If you want to plant trees for shade, put 

them in a place that they will make shade for the house or garden in the afternoon, when the 

sun is hottest. 

Form part of important cultural ceremonies and traditions. 

These are specifi c species of trees that play an important role in certain cultures. You can 

create a spiritual place of your garden by planting trees that have meaning to you. 

Produce fruit and seeds, which people can eat, and which attract birds and 

animals into our areas. 

Only certain trees produce fruit that people can eat. Some of these are indigenous, while 

others are exotic hybrids that have been bred for this purpose. Both are great to have in your 

garden to provide nutritious fruit for the family, and for making jams and juices to use at 

home and sell. 

Stabilise the soil through their extensive root systems, which prevents loss of 

fertile top soil and landslides. 

All trees and vegetation provide this service to some extent, but larger trees with denser root 

networks are more effective. Protect the steep banks around your house by planting trees on 

them, but make sure that the roots are not going to interfere with your house foundations! 

Produce bark, leaves and roots that can be used for medicine. 

Many, if not most, indigenous trees are used in some way for traditional medicine or magic, 

although some are more popular than others. You can have your own supply of medicinal tea 

leaves, magical plants and protective charm plants around your garden for extra health. 

Green the garden or neighbourhood and create a good sense of place. 

All trees play this role. You can help create a beautiful and dignifi ed neighbourhood or street 

by planting trees in your garden and on the street verge. 

Provide firewood and building materials. 

Fast-growing trees are best for this purpose, and many of these are exotic invasive species 

such as Wattle and Eucalyptus that can safely be removed from the wild. You can grow your 

own woodlot at home that will provide a ready supply of poles, thatch and fi rewood. 

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This is a list of trees that provide lots of benefits to people. 

Common Name Zulu Name Latin Name 

Uses (Symbol) 

Flatcrown usolo Albizia adianthifolia 

Natal Fig umdende Ficus natalensis 

Buffalo Thorn umphafa Ziziphus mucronata 

Quinine Tree umhlambamanzi Rauvolfi a caffra 

Umdoni umdoni Syzigium cordatum 

Cape Chestnut 

umemeze omhlope Calodendrum capense 

Umzimbeet umsimbithi Millettia grandis 

Coast Goldleaf umshonge Bridelia micrantha 

Wild Date Palm isundu Phoenix reclinata 

Giant-leaved Fig umphayi Ficus lutea 

Common Cluster Fig umkhiwane Ficus sycomorus 

Natal Sourplum umgwenya Ximenia caffra 

Wild Custard Apple isiphofu Annona senegalensis 

Myrtle/Cape Quince umkhondweni Cryptocarya myrtifolia/woodii 

Cheesewood umfusamvu Pittosporum viridifolium 

Red Stinkwood inyazamgoma Prunus africana 

Sweet Thorn umunga Acacia karoo 

Paperbark Thorn umkhamba Acacia siberiana 

Tree Fuschia ihluze Schotia brachypetala 

Coast/Common Coral Tree umsinsi 

Erythrina caffra/lysistemon 

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Common Coral Tree umqongqazi Erythrina latissima 

Small Knobwood umnungumabele Zanthoxylum capense 

Cape Ash umnyamithi Ekebergia capensis 

Forest/Natal Mahogany umkhulu Trichilia dregeana/emetica 

Tassle Berry 

Antidesma venosum 

Wild Poplar iphubane Macaranga capensis 

Marula umganu Sclerocarya birrea 

Wild Plum umgwenya Harpephyllum caffrum 

Lavender Tree inkunzi Heteropyxis natalensis 

African Mangosteen umphimbi Garcinia livingstonei 

Kei Apple umqokolo Dovyalis caffra 

Pompon Tree itozane-emnyama Dais cotinifolia 

Halleria iminza Halleria lucida 

Wild Medlar umviyo Vangueria infausta 

Lemon Tree 

Naartjie Tree 

Orange Tree 

Avocado Pear Tree 

PawPaw Tree 

Pecan Nut Tree 

Macadamia Nut Tree 

Banana Tree 

Mango Tree 

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activity 

Aliens: Which Trees to Remove 

There are some trees that, although they may provide some benefi ts, can become a problem 

for the environment. These trees are called ‘declared weeds’ or ‘alien invader plants’ because 

they spread very easily and can kill indigenous plants. They also use up a lot of water and may 

replace natural vegetation that has better soil-binding capacity, so soil erosion often becomes 

worse when alien plants have replaced the natural vegetation. 

For these reasons, it is recommended that you do not plant or keep these trees, but rather look for a safer 

alternative that will provide similar benefi ts to you. Some common problem trees that occur in the INK area are: 

Guava – Psidium guajava/cattleianum 

Peanut Butter Cassia – Senna didymobotrya 

Syringa – Melia azedarach 

Jacaranda – Jacaranda mimsifolia 

Silver Wattle – Acacia dealbata 

Black Wattle – Acacia mearnsii 

Golden Wattle – Acacia pycnantha 

Grey Poplar – Populus canescens 

Camphor Tree – Cinnamomum camphora 

Gum Tree/Saligna – Eucalyptus grandis 

Lantana – Lantana camara 

Castor-oil Bush – Ricinus communis 

Triffi d Weed – Chromolaena odorata 

Guava tree 

Syringa tree 

Lantana 

Castor-oil bush 

If you have these plants in your garden, you should remove them and replace them with trees and plants that 

provide you with more benefi ts. 

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EDIBLE GARDENS 

One of the most effective ways of living sustainably is to grow your own food. You 

can use you garden to provide you with nourishing and healthy organic vegetables 

and medicines. Did you know that a vegetable garden of 100m 2 (10m X 10m) 

farmed intensively can provide enough vegetables to feed a family of 5? This could 

allow you to reduce your monthly food bill by anything between 5 and 40%. Also, 

if you can produce more food than you can eat, you can sell this to your neighbours 

and at farmers markets. 

If you are going to use your garden to grow plants to eat, there are some important 

things to investigate and plan before you start. For example, you need to know 

whether you have good soils for growing plants, and if not then what you must do 

to improve the soils. You also need to plan what kinds of plants you will be growing, 

work out where you should put the different plants in your garden, and when the 

best time to plant each of these will be. If you are going to be growing plants then 

you also need to have a good supply of water nearby for watering the plants. 

Assessing Your Soil 

Soil is a very precious resource. It takes thousands of years to form – just 10 mm of 

soil can take between 100 and 1000 years to develop from the parent rocks! Soil 

is made up of organic (decaying plants/animals) and inorganic (weathered rock, air, 

water and minerals) components. 

Plants must have soil to grow in, and both the type and amount of soil can affect 

how quickly and well the plant grows. Understanding the type of soil and depth of 

the soil in your garden is very important. Different kinds of plants may have varying 

abilities to grow in different types and depths of soil, but all soils that are good for 

plants must be able to: 

Hold the plants securely. 

Hold water and nutrients for the plants to absorb, but drain freely and not 

become waterlogged. 

Have space for the roots to grow into – be well aerated. 

Be free of pollution and diseases. 

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Soil is defined either as clay (very fine and sticky when wet), sandy (very loose and 

crumbly) or loamy (rich and full of decaying organic matter). Loamy soils are the 

best for growing plants, but if you have clay or sandy soils, these are easily treated 

to make them more suitable. 

You can define your soil type by taking a handful of soil from your garden and 

looking at the colour and texture. Once you have an idea of the soil type, you will know 

what kind of treatment it will need to make it good for growing food plants. 

Characteristics Clay Sandy Loamy 

Colour Grey. Light brown, cream to Dark brown, getting 

red-brown. 

darker the more organic 

matter there is. 

Texture Fine, small particles. Coarse to fi ne, particles Moderate coarseness, 

Sticky when wet. loose. containing much organic 

matter. 

General Retains water and nutrients, Does not hold water, so Drains well and does not 

tending to get waterlogged. dries out easily. Loses become waterlogged, 

Forms hard crusts when nutrients quickly (leaches) but the organic matter 

it dries. if over-watered. retains moisture. 

Shallow soils are often a problem for growing plants, especially trees, as there is not 

enough room for the roots to grow, and little space for water to be stored in the 

soil. Deep soils are better for gardening. Vegetables and flowers can sometimes 

manage in shallow soils if we feed them well with compost. Should you have 

shallow soils in your garden, you can collect topsoil and spread it on your garden to 

increase the soil depth. 

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Treating Your Soil 

Once you have assessed what kind of soil you have in your garden, you will be able 

to work out what you need to do to it to make it a good, fertile place for growing 

your plants. Different types of soils need different kinds of treatments: 

Characteristics Clay Sandy Loamy 

Suitability for Growing Not very good. These OK. Sandy soils have a lot Good. These soils have a 

Plants soils, although often of big air spaces in them good ability to hold water 

quite fertile, have very and may not hold enough but don’t easily get waterlittle 

air in them and water. They also often have logged. They are often rich 

tend to get waterlogged, very little nutrients in them. in nutrients. 

which might cause the 

plants to die. 

Treatment to Improve Add lots of manure, Add manure, compost or Can be used as is. 

Suitability for Growing compost or mulch to the mulch to the soil to Compost or manure can 

Plants soil and mix well into the increase the amount of be added to assist in 

soil to increase the amount organic material. This will replenishing nutrients in 

of organic material. This increase the soils’ water the soil as these are used 

will create more air spaces holding ability and increase up by the plants. 

and allow the soil to drain the availability of nutrients 

better. 

for the plans. 

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When adding an organic soil treatment to your soil, it is best to make sure that the 

matter you are adding is well mixed into the soil. This can be done by making a 

well-prepared garden bed as follows: 

1. Decide on the area where you want to plant your vegetables or herbs – make 

sure it is not bigger than you need (about 2 m wide and 8 m long should be big 

enough for most home vegetable gardens). 

2. Dig out the top 30 cm of topsoil from the area and put it to one side. 

3. Dig out the next 30 cm of subsoil and put it in a separate pile. 

4. Spread a thin layer of compost, manure or decaying vegetation across the entire 

bottom of the hole. 

5. Mix 2 or 3 buckets of compost or manure with the pile of subsoil that you dug 

out of the hole. Make sure that the soil is mixed properly and that any stones or 

big clumps of soil are removed or broken up. 

6. Put the subsoil mix back into the hole, the put the topsoil over it to fill up the 

hole. Make sure the surface of the soil is level. 

7. You can build a small soil wall around the edge of the area you have prepared. 

8. Water the prepared area well just before planting your plants. 

Caring for Your Soil 

When using your garden productively, the soil faces two main threats: erosion by 

wind and water, and reduction in nutrients and fertility through overuse or poor 

planting patterns. 

Soil erosion is one of the main problems faced by gardeners. Bare soil allows 

rainwater to run off the soil at a fast and destructive pace. This results in the plants 

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being denied the moisture that they need for healthy growth and may cause the roots 

of the plant to become exposed. The steeper the slope, the more chance there is that 

soil erosion will occur. 

You can reduce the risk of soil erosion by doing any of the following: 

Mulching. This involves placing cut vegetation, organic kitchen waste, newspaper 

or cardboard onto all exposed soil surfaces in your garden. This slows rainfall run 

off and prevents erosion. It also keeps the soil warm and moist (which is good 

for increasing plant growth rates), reduces how much you have to water the 

plants and limits the growth of weeds. 

Planting rows of grass, trees or shrubs along the contour at regular intervals. 

These plants form barriers to water flows and capture eroded soil. 

Trenches/swales. By digging trenches or swales at the bottom end of your garden 

along the contour, you can catch the rainfall run off and any soil that washes off 

your garden. 

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Maintaining soil fertility is important if you want to keep your garden productive. 

You can do this by adding organic matter to your soil on a regular basis. Suitable 

organic fertilisers include compost (that you can make yourself or buy), animal manure 

and seaweed. Inorganic fertilisers can also be used (such as Nitrate, Phosphate and 

Potassium), but these may be expensive and can cause nutrient imbalances in your 

soil in the long term if you use them a lot. Other great ways of keeping your soil 

fertile include practising inter-cropping, crop rotation and minimum tillage. 

Inter-cropping or 

companion planting is 

done such that different kinds 

of plants that benefit each 

other are planted together. 

If one crop is grown in the 

same place year after year, 

certain pests and diseases 

will build up in the soil and 

certain nutrients will become 

depleted. By changing the 

kinds of plants grown in one place this cycle can get broken down and the soil 

maintained in a healthier, more balanced state. 

Every time a crop is harvested, the soil must get turned over before planting the 

new crop. This can result in loss of organic matter from the soil as well as ongoing 

soil erosion. Minimum tillage techniques involve limiting the depth and intensity 

of ploughing each time the crop is harvested to keep the soil in as stable a state 

as possible, and leaving the dead leaves and roots in place to recharge the organic 

matter in the soil. 

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Capturing Water 

If you are going to grow healthy plants to use for 

food, you need to keep them well-watered. If 

there is not a stream nearby, then it is very hard 

work to carry water from far away to water the 

plants, OR very expensive to use tap water. It is 

really much cheaper and easier to just capture 

rainwater to use for watering the garden. 

Rainwater is generally of a high quality, so if you 

do this you will also have a supply of free water 

at home for using to wash with, or for filling 

toilet cisterns. It should be noted that rainwater 

should not be used for drinking, unless you boil 

it first. 

Rainwater usually runs off our roofs and the 

ground, then away down the street into the nearest stream. There are two ways 

that you can capture this rainwater: from the roof into a rainwater tank, or from the 

ground into a trench or swale. 

Collecting rainwater from the roof requires that you have gutters on your house. 

The rainwater collected in the gutters must spill into some kind of tank. You can 

use any kind of pipe cut in half to make gutters on all or part of your roof to collect 

the rainwater – but generally the bigger the gutter the better, as small gutters often 

overflow and lose precious water that should have gone into the tank. 

You can make a rainwater tank from a metal drum, or you could use a Jo-Jo 

Tank. The rainwater tank must be mounted on a firm, flat surface. Importantly, the 

tank must have a tap or be low enough to the ground that you can easily reach to 

collect the water for using in the garden. The tank should also have an overflow 

pipe in case it fills up faster than you can use the water. REMEMBER: the bigger 

your rainwater tank, the more rainwater you can store. This is important to make 

sure you have some water to use in the months where there is not so much rain. 

Collecting water from the ground involves digging a swale in a place where the 

water naturally runs to in your garden. The swale should placed along a contour 

(i.e. not straight down the slope), be at least 30cm deep (or deeper if you want to 

catch more water), and a spade-width wide. It is best to build a small bank/berm 

19


on the downhill side of the swale to stop water from flowing out of the swale 

and down the slope. This berm should be planted up with grass to stop it from 

eroding. 

If the swale is near where your plants are growing, you can leave the water in the 

swale and let it soak into the soil so that the roots can use it. If the swale is far from your 

plants you can collect the swale water in buckets and use it to water your plants. 

When thinking about where to put a swale for capturing rainwater, make sure 

that it is not too close to any buildings, as the water in the swale can seep into 

the soil and damage the foundations. The swale might fill up with soil every now 

and again, at which time you can dig the soil out and use it to increase the berm 

downhill from the swale. It is very important that both ends of your swale are 

closed so that the water stays in the swale. 

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Using Grey Water 

Another way to collect water 

for using in the garden is to use 

grey water from the house. Grey 

water is water that you have 

used to wash with and does not 

include toilet water. Grey water 

can be used on trees and shrubs, 

and should only be used with 

care on vegetables. You should 

always use the cleanest possible 

grey water, which is usually 

from the shower. Other kinds of 

grey water may have chemicals 

or salts in it that could built up 

in the soil over a long time. 

Growing Vegetables 

Companion Planting/Intercropping 

If you are going to grow vegetables, you need to spend some time planning your 

vegetable garden before planting. There are some plants, that when grown 

together assist each other to grow better. This is known as ‘companion planting’ or 

‘intercropping’. Some of the ways that the plants can help each other include: 

Through root secretions. An example is Marigolds, whose roots release a poison 

that protects the roots of vegetables nearby from attack by insects and worms. 

Releasing insect repellent aromas from leaves. Some herbs produce strong 

smelling substances in the leaves (e.g. Khakibos) that repel insects like aphids 

and worms, and so help protect nearby vegetables from attack. 

Nitrogen fixing/fertiliser plants. Some plants, like beans, peas and some Thorn Trees 

fix nitrogen in the soil, bring nutrients to the soil surface and so make food for nearby 

plants. 

By reducing weeds. Pumpkins suppress the growth of weeds. 

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Vegetables that can be planted together 

The following is a list of vegetables that should be planted together as companion plants: 

Beetroot – Onions 

Carrots – Peas, Lettuce, Onions, Tomatoes 

Onions – Beetroot, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Lettuce 

Brinjals – Beans 

Cabbage – Potatoes, Beetroots, Onions 

Green Peppers – All Vegetables 

Lettuce – Carrots, Radishes, Strawberries, Cucumbers 

Pumpkin – Mielies 

Swiss Chard – Strawberries, Spinach 

Tomatoes – Onions, Carrots 

Mielies – Peanuts, Peas, Beans, Cucumber, Pumpkins, Potatoes 

Sunfl owers – Cucumbers 

Beans – Potatoes, Carrots, Cabbage, Most Vegetables. 

Growing Vegetable Seedlings in a Seed Bed 

When planting vegetables, you can plant either seedlings (young plants) or sow 

seeds directly into the soil. Seedlings are more expensive than seeds, but grow 

faster and can give you a better yield. To save money, you can grow your own 

seedlings in a seedbed that can be removed and planted in your vegetable garden 

when ready. 

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A seedbed can be any size, but a good size is about 1 square metre (1 m x 1 m). 

To make the seedbed, a raised platform of soft, fine soil should be created using 

a hoe, and a lot of compost added to the soil in the seedbed to make it fertile. 

There should be no stones, roots or lumps of soil (clods) in the seedbed. It is a very 

good idea to make sure that the seedbed gets some protection from the sun, as 

the seedlings are very delicate and will die if they get too hot. You can shade your 

seedbed with a roof of grass or sticks. 

Put the seeds into holes that are about 5 times as deep as the size of the seeds, 

and cover with fine sifted soil or compost. After about 4 weeks the seedlings will 

have emerged and should be ready for removal and planting into the garden. You 

can generally tell that the seedlings are ready to be moved when they have more 

than 2 leaves, or when the first seedling leaves have grown into a shape that looks 

those found on an adult plant of the same kind. 

The following kinds of vegetable seeds should be sown in a seedbed and allowed 

to develop into seedlings before being planted out into the garden. 

Best months for planting vegetable seedlings 

Vegetable Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 

Brinjal 

Cabbage 

Leeks 

Lettuce 

Onions 

Peppers 

Swiss Chard 

Tomatoes 

23


brinjal cabbage leeks lettuce 

onions 

peppers 

tomatoes 

swiss chard 

Growing Vegetables from Seed 

Some vegetables do fine if they are grown from seed planted straight into the soil in your 

garden. These include the following, which should be planted in the months shown. 

Best months for planting vegetable seeds 

Vegetable Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 

Beans 

Beetroot 

Carrot 

Cucumber 

Mielies 

Peas 

Potatoes 

Pumpkins 

Radish 

Turnips 

24


beans 

beetroot carrot cucumber mielies 

peas 

potatoes pumpkins radish turnips 

If you are going to plant seeds straight into the soil, ensure that the soil is soft 

by breaking up lumps/clods through ploughing or hoeing, and removing stones 

and roots. Compost should be dug into the top 10 cm of soil to improve the soil 

condition and fertility before planting the seeds. 

Growing Herbs and Spices 

It is very useful to grow your own herbs and spices. These can add much flavour to 

food dishes, and are very healthy to eat. It also means that you don’t have to buy 

them from a supermarket, which saves money and the environment. You can eat 

the herbs and spices fresh or you can dry them and store them for many months. 

Most herbs grow better in full sun, but they need to be watered regularly if you 

want them to be productive and grow well. The following is a list of herbs and 

spices that you can grow easily at home. Seeds for these plants can be obtained in 

packets at supermarkets and nurseries. 

25


Herbs 

Sweet Basil 

Available as a perennial and non-perennial variety – best grown in a pot rather than an 

open bed. Good for salads and fresh pasta dishes. 

Thyme 

Thyme grows well in full sun, and best in a pot rather than an open bed. You can add thyme 

to stews for a wonderful fresh fl avour. 

Oreganum 

Oreganum is easy to grow and will do well if it gets some shade during the day. You can 

add oreganum to any dish, but it’s best known for being put on pizza! 

Parsley 

There are many varieties of parsley, and most prefer full sun. Parsley can be added to stews 

or used as a garnish on top of almost any dish. 

Rocket 

Coriander 

Chives 

Rosemary 

Leaves are eaten as a peppery garnish to salads, toast and bread. The plant grows very 

easily from seed, needs some shade in the day, and will seed itself after the fi rst season (i.e. 

you won’t have to plant more seeds). 

Coriander is a delicate herb that should be grown in semi-shade. It is an annual that will die 

back in winter after having seeded. Coriander can be eaten with Indian and Indonesian 

food dishes, and is delicious added to plain yoghurt to have with curry. 

Chives do best in full sun. The leaves can be cut off the plant and added to salads, eggs or 

any dish to add a fresh onion-garlic fl avour. 

Rosemary is a small scrubby bush that must be grown in full sun. The leaves can be added 

to stews, and are particularly good for fl avouring potatoes and mutton/lamb dishes. 

Spices 

Chilli 

There are many different kinds of chilli’s. All chilli bushes like to be grown in full sun and 

given lots of water. You can add chilli to any dish if you like a bit of heat! 

26


Growing Medicinal Plants 

You can grow useful medicinal plants in your garden along with your vegetables and 

herbs. You can use these at home to treat common ailments and to keep your family 

healthy. Medicinal plants might be trees, herbs or bulbs. The bulbs often contain 

dangerous chemicals and so we have not recommended that you try growing and 

using these at home without the guidance of an Inyanga or Herbalist. 

Most times that you need to use medicinal plants you should consult your local 

iNyanga or Herbalist. There are, however, some commonly known and safe medicinal 

trees and herbs that you can grow at home to use yourself with reasonable safety. If 

you are in any doubt about how strong to make your treatments, be sure to consult 

an iNyanga first. Some ideas for medicinal plants that you can grow for health at 

home include: 

Aloe ferox Kigelia Lippia Sutherlandia 

Tetradenia 

Artemisia 

Bulbine 

Combretum caffrum 

Mondia 

Alepidea 

Gasteria 

27


Medicinal herbs 

Type Name Zulu Name Common Uses 

Herbs Giant Alepidea – Alepidea Ikhatazo Roots boiled as a tea and used to treat colds, fl u 

amatymbica 

and chest complaints. 

African Wormwood – uMhlonyane Leaves boiled as a tea and used to treat colds, 

Artemisia afra 

fl u, sore throats, coughs, colic, constipation and 

gout. A painful tooth can be packed with fresh leaves. 

Bulbine – Bulbine spp iBhucu Cut leaves used on the skin to treat excema, dry 

skin, ringworm, rashes, boils. 

Gasteria – iMpundu The whole plant is used to treat rheumatoid pains, 

Gasteria croucherii 

by washing the painful area with the plant. 

Fever Tea – Lippia javanica uMsuzwane The leaf is used to make a tea for treatment of 

colds, fl u, sore throats, coughs, headaches, back pain. 

White’s Ginger – uMondi The roots are chewed to aid digestion. 

iMondia white 

Cancer Bush – uNwele The leaves can be used to make teas and infusions 

Sutherlandia frutescens 

that can be used as a general health tonic. 

Ginger Bush – iBoza Leaves boiled as a tea and used to 

Tetradenia riparia 

treat colds, fl u and chest complaints. 

Trees Cape Bushwillow – uMdubu Finely ground roots can be added to a bath 

Combretum caffrum 

to soothe body pains. 

Bitter Aloe – Aloe ferox uMhlaba Cut leaves applied directly to the skin to treat burns, 

insect bites, sores and sun burn. 

Sausage Tree – iBelendlovu/ The fruit can be used to make a cream to treat skin 

Kigelia africana uMbongothi cancer. 

28


Remember always to only use a little of the plant material at a time and NEVER if 

you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Children and old people should not use or be 

given medicinal plants from your home garden to drink as a tea or infusion, only 

external/skin preparations should be used. If you use the medicinal plant and you 

have some kind of reaction to it (a rash or feel sick), stop using it immediately. 

Controlling Pests and Diseases 

The control of pests and diseases is critical to the success of your crop. To ensure 

that pests and diseases never become a problem in your garden, your plants must 

be strong and healthy. It is important to know that not all the insects that you will 

find in your garden are bad. There are many insects that eat or kill those that might 

attack your plants. For this reason it is not a good idea to use chemical insecticides 

in your garden, as you will be killing off the good insects with the bad. Another 

reason not to use chemical insecticides is that the plants you are growing will be 

eaten by you and your family, and these chemicals are poisons that could have 

harmful health effects. 

Before you can implement treatment for attacks by pests and diseases on your 

plants, you should first try to identify what is attacking the plants. 

Bacterial and Fungal Diseases. Bacterial diseases may cause wilting of plants 

or spotting of leaves. Bacterial infections are also associated with a strong 

smell. Bacterial disease can spread rapidly through the entire crop. Severely 

infected plants should be removed carefully, ensuring that all the plant material 

is removed from the soil, and then destroyed or burnt. 

Similar symptoms result from fungal infections, except that rotting does not occur 

and the fungus can normally be rubbed off with your fingers. Fungal infection is 

most likely to occur when plants are grown in shady, warm and moist conditions. 

Good ventilation between plants is essential to allow dew and rain to dry off 

quickly. Larger plants should be widely spaced to allow air movement and reduce 

the potential for fungal infection. 

29


Viral Diseases. A common symptom of viral infection is distortion of the leaves. 

Viral diseases are most often transmitted between plants by insects. The control 

of viral infection is therefore undertaken through insect control. Infected plants 

should be removed and burnt. 

Non-Parasitic Diseases. Plants can suffer poor growth and reduced resistance 

to disease as a result of unfavourable weather conditions, soils, climate, incorrect 

application of fertiliser, poor drainage and watering practices. For example, 

plants may not flower as normal (thus few/no seeds are produced), or may 

become scorched by excessive heat. Affected plants should be removed, as they 

will become susceptible to pathogenic infections. 

Nematodes and Cutworms. Nematodes and cutworms are plant parasites that 

live in the soil. If they are a problem, cultivation beds should be prepared a month 

before planting to allow enough time to clear the area of any residual plant 

material. This will help to control the prevalence nematodes and cutworms. 

There are a number of treatments that you can use to either prevent or treat pest 

and disease attacks. But remember that not all insects are bad for your plants! 

30


Good guys 

Bad guys 

aphids or green fly 

ladybird 

bee 

argentine ant 

slug 

snail 

lace wing 

cutworm & moth 

astylus beetle 

praying mantis 

fruit fly 

dragonfly 

cooling moth 

ichneumon 

tachnid fly 

woolly aphid 

31


activity 

ORGANIC TREATMENTS 

Seed Pre-treatment to Eliminate Disease 

The incidence of disease on collected seed can be reduced by: 

1. Place 250 g of seed in a cotton bag. 

2. Soak seed for 30 seconds in cold water, followed by 20 minutes in 50 o C water. Keep the temperature 

constant. 

3. Cool the seed in fresh cold water. 

4. Allow the seed to dry in a shaded area. 

5. Soaking seed in wood ash and water for 24 hours before planting also gives protection against fungal and 

bacterial diseases. But this is a non-organic treatment. 

1. 

3. 

2. 

5. 

4. 

32


activity 

Traps for Insects, Snails & Slugs 

These are attracted to liquids containing yeasts. Place stale 

beer in a deep plate/container. Snails and slugs will crawl 

into the liquid and drown. 

Grasshoppers are attracted to different kinds of scents 

including citrus fruits, lemon extracts, beer, vinegar, etc. 

Moths are attracted to a light source, so place a candle in a bottle and 

place in a tray of water to which a little liquid soap has been added. The 

moths fl y towards the light at night and drown in the water. This is an effective 

method of controlling cutworm adults. 

Aloe ferox (Bitter Aloe) 

Effective for the control of insects, including termites. 

1. Crush 1 part plant material (leaves) to 5 parts water. 

2. Boil and cool before spraying onto the crop. 

Alternatively: 

1. Dry the plant material (sun dry or place in a convection oven). 

2. Grind the dried material into a powder and dust it onto the plants. 

Amaranthus (Pigweed) 

Effective for the control of various fungi. 

1. Extract the juice from 1kg of leaves (by placing in a blender). 

2. Mix the juice with 3 litres of water. 

3. Spray over the crop. 

Bidens pilosa (Blackjack) 

Effective against most insects, including aphids, ants, beetles, caterpillars, mites, 

termites and whitefl y. 

1. Use the entire plant (note mature seeds are most effective). 

2. Boil a cup of seeds for ten minutes in water. Allow to cool. Alternatively 

allow the seeds to soak in water for 24 hours. 

3. Add 1 litre of water and a large spoonful of fi nely chopped soap to the 

mixture. 

4. Filter the liquid through a cloth to remove large particles. 

5. Spray onto the crop immediately. 

Ricinus communis (Castor Oil Bush) 

Effective against a variety of insects and fungi. Insects: aphids, leaf-cutting ants, 

caterpillars, cutworms, mites, stinkbugs, termites, nematodes and storage insect 

pests. It is also known to work against mole rats and rats if the green seeds are 

put down mole rat holes and or into rat nests. 

1. Soak the leaves, roots and green seeds in water for 24 hours. 

2. Filter the liquid through a cloth. 

33


activity 

3. Spray or drench the soil around your crops with the 

liquid. 


1. Allow seeds and leaves to dry. 

2. Grind the dried material into a powder. 

3. Dust plants with the powder. 

4. Also used to control cutworm in the following manner: 

5. Put 4 cups of shelled, crushed seeds into 2 litres of water and boil for 10 

minutes. 

6. Add 2 teaspoons of paraffi n and some soap. 

7. Dilute to 10 litres with water and spray immediately into the soil around the 

crop. 

Capsicum frutescens (Chilli) 

Effective against insects in general, as well as fungi, bacteria, viruses, slugs and 

snails. 

1. Grind 2 handfuls of ripe chilli pods. 

2. Soak in 1 litre of water for 24 hours. 

3. Shake well and fi lter the liquid through a cloth. 

4. Add 5 litres of water and a little soap. 

5. Spray onto the plants. 


1. Allow chilli pods to dry. 

2. Grind the dried material into a powder. 

3. Apply powder around the bases of the plants to repel insects. 

Allium sativum (Garlic) 

Effective against insects in general, as well as fungi and bacteria. Insects: aphids, 

armyworms, ants, caterpillars, diamond back moth, and termites. 

1. Chop a few garlic cloves into small pieces. 

2. Soak in two teaspoons of oil for one day. Use a glass jar, not a tin. 

3. Add half a litre of water and a little fi nely chopped soap. 

4. Shake well and fi lter through a cloth. 

5. Mix 1 part solution with 20 parts of water and use as a spray. Mix well 

before spraying. 

Alternatively, a good method to prevent fungal diseases: 

1. Allow garlic cloves to dry out. 

2. Grind the dried cloves into a powder. 

3. Sprinkle the powder over the plants. 

34


activity 

Ageratum conzygoides (Goat Weed) 

Effective against most insects, as well as bacteria and 

nematodes. Insects: diamond back moths, snout beetles, 

fl ies, and beetles. 

1. Allow plant material to dry. 

2. Grind plant material into a powder. 

3. Sprinkle the powder over the plants. 

4. Water extracts of the plant can also be sprayed and used as a mulch to 

repel insects. 

Lantana camara (Lantana) 

Effective against most insects, particularly weevils, beetles and leaf miners. 

1. Crush 1 handful of leaves. 

2. Mix with 1 litre of water and some fi nely chopped soap. 

3. Filter the liquid through a cloth and spray onto the crop. 


1. Allow some plant material to dry. 

2. Grind the dried plant material into a powder. 

3. Sprinkle the powder over the plants/crop. 

Ash from burnt branches of Lantana can also be dusted over plants to control 

insects. 

Allium cepa (Onion) 

Effective against insects and fungi. Insects: aphids, ants, scale insects, thrips 

and whitefl y. 

1. Crush 500g of onion and add to 5 litres of water. 

2. Leave for 24 hours. 

3. Filter the liquid through a cloth and spray onto the crop. 


1. Crush a small quantity of onion and soak in 2 teaspoons of oil for 24 

hours. 

2. Mix with half a litre of water and a little fi nely chopped soap. 

3. Filter the liquid through a cloth. 

4. Mix 1 part solution with 20 parts water and spray onto crop. 

Datura stromonium (Thorn Apple) 

Effective against most insects, fungi and nematodes. Insects: aphids, 

caterpillars, cotton stainers, armyworms and cutworms. 

1. Dry the entire plant leaves, stems, roots and seeds. 

2. Grind the dried plant material into a powder. 

3. Dust the powder over the crop. 

35


activity 


1. Crush a handful of leaves in 1 litre of water. 

2. Add fi nely chopped soap and fi lter through a cloth. 

3. Spray over the crop. 

Wood Ash 

Effective against most insects, fungi, bacteria, slugs, snails and nematodes. 

Insects include: aphids, caterpillars, cutworms, grasshoppers, root maggots and 

termites. 

1. Put 1 heaped tablespoon of wood ash in 1 litre of water. 

2. Allow to soak for 24 hours and fi lter through a cloth to remove any solids. 

3. Add 1 cup of sour milk (maas) and 3 litres of water. 

4. Mix well and spray over the crop. 

Wood ash mixed with soapy water and/or lime can also act as a general 

insecticide. 

Bicarbonate of Soda 

Effective against aphids and scale insects, as well as fungal diseases such as 

mildew and rust. 

1. Mix 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda with 1 teaspoon of liquid soap. 

2. Mix with 5 litres of water. 

3. Spray on affected plants. 

Builders Lime 

Effective against insect larvae, slugs and snails. 

Preparation: 

1. Mix the lime with water. 

2. Allow the mixture to stand until the heat of hydration has disappeared. 

3. Spray the mix onto the plants. 

Flour 

Effective against spider mites, aphids and caterpillars. 

1. Mix 4 cups of fl our with half a cup of sour milk. Make a paste. 

2. Add 20 litres of water to the paste. 

3. Spray onto the crop. 

Flour can also be dusted onto crops prone to caterpillar attack. Aphids and 

spider mites can be controlled by mixing 1 tablespoon of fl our with 1 litre of 

water and then wiping onto the plant with a brush. 

36


activity 

NON-ORGANIC POISONS 

Paraffin 

Works well to prevent birds from eating your seeds after 

planting. Seeds are dipped in paraffi n prior to planting. 

This works well if the seeds have a hard seed coat. 

Nicotine Poison 

Nicotine obtained from cigarettes is effective against caterpillars and other 

insects. A nicotine poison can be made in the following way: 

1. Boil a cup of cigarette ends in 5 litres water for 30 minutes. 

2. Filter the liquid through a cloth. Add a large spoonful of fi nely chopped 

soap to the fi ltered liquid. 

3. Before using this poison, mix 1 litre poison with 1 litre water. 

4. Spray the poison onto the leaves or use a grass brush to smear the 

leaves. The soap makes the poison cling to the leaves. 

The plants should not be harvested to eat for at least 4 days after being 

sprayed and should be washed before being used. 

Nicotine is poisonous and should be stored in a safe place away from 

Children. 

Composting 

Making compost at home is one of the cheapest ways to create your own organic 

fertiliser. 

Compost is formed when plants (and animals) are left to break down (decompose). 

Compost contains nutrients that when dug into your garden increases the fertility 

of your soil. The compost also improves the soil’s ability to hold water and air, and 

reduces the risk of soil erosion by binding the soil together. 

To make a composting area you first need to choose a space that is sheltered 

from the sun and wind. It is best to fence off a small area with chicken mesh or 

other fencing with holes in it to keep the compost in and people/animals out. Make 

sure that there is one side that can open like a gate, so that you can get access to 

the compost heap. You could also use a big cardboard box for this, but make sure 

to cut holes cut in the sides and cut the bottom off the box first. Do not dig a hole 

to house your compost heap – it needs air and so must be above ground. 

To start making the compost you must add organic matter into the composting 

area. This can include: 

Kitchen waste: fruit and vegetable peels, old bones, tea leaves, eggshells etc. 

37


Do not add too much cooked kitchen waste as this could attract rats into the 

compost heap. 

Garden waste: leaves, bark, wood, wood ashes, finely chopped branches and 

sticks. Do not put any infected/diseased plants from the garden in the compost 

heap. 

Organic household waste: any other organic waste from the house like 

newspaper (cut into thin strips), feathers, hair etc. 

Manure: any animal manure can be added to the compost heap, this helps to 

make all the other organic material break down faster. 

It helps to try and put layers of the different kinds of organic waste described above 

into the compost heap. When you have filled the composting area, put a thin layer 

of soil over compost heap and cover this with cut grass. Water the heap a little 

and make sure that it stays damp. After 6 weeks you can ‘turn’, or dig over, the 

compost heap. This helps make the waste break down more evenly. Make sure 

that you don’t kill any earthworms when you are doing this, as these are helping to 

make your compost! 

It should take 2 to 3 months for the compost in your heap to be ready. You will 

know that the compost is ready when most of the compost heap has changed into 

a crumbly, black soil which smells like earth. To test if the compost is ready, take 

some in your hand and squeeze it. It should stick together, then crumble apart 

when you let go. 

You must use the compost as soon as possible otherwise the nutrients that it 

contains will be lost. 

38


YOUR OWN SEEDLING NURSERY 

If you plan to grow you own vegetables or herbs, it is a good idea to set up your 

own seedling nursery. This way you will always have seedlings when it is time to 

plant, and you can save money. More importantly, you can grow vegetable and 

herb seedlings to sell to people in the area or commercial nurseries, and so make 

some extra money from your nursery. If you set up a nursery, you can also use it to 

produce seedlings of plants that people in your area like to grow in their gardens, 

like flowers and trees. 

If you want to grow plants from seed, you need to set aside a few plants of 

each of the vegetables, herbs and trees that you have in your garden to use as 

seed producers. These plants must be allowed to flower, fruit and seed, and you 

need to watch for when the seeds are ripe, collect them and plant them into your 

nursery straight away. The fresher the seed you plant in the nursery, the more chance 

you have of germinating lots of seedlings. A good rule of thumb is that if the seed is 

slightly soft, then it is ready to plant. If the seeds are ripe but are very hard, it is a good 

idea to soak them overnight in water before planting them out the next day. 

You can also collect cuttings from plants to put into the nursery. This is often a 

quicker way of producing more plants than growing them from seed. Only some 

plants, however, will grow from cuttings, so it may take a while for you to experiment 

and find the ones that work. 

You can make a seedling nursery shade structure from wood and grass. This 

structure can be made as follows: 

1. Find poles with forked ends that can be used to support the structure. These 

should be at least hip-height once they have been planted in the ground, 

enabling one to work underneath. 

2. Make a grass roof that fits over the supports. The roof must allow some sunlight 

(50% sun, 50% shade) to penetrate. 

3. Once the seedlings are almost ready to be planted out into the garden, they can 

be ‘hardened-off’ by removing some of the roof material to allow more light to 

penetrate, thus exposing the seedlings to harsher conditions. 

The purpose of the nursery shade structure is to protect the young plants from 

severe sun and heavy rain. Seeds and cuttings can be planted into containers or 

39


into a seedbed underneath the protective structure. 

If you want to plant into containers, first make a seedling soil mix of soil (half) 

and compost/very old manure (half) to put into the containers. You can use egg 

and beer boxes as containers in place of expensive polystyrene or plastic seedling 

trays. Seeds can be scattered in the beer box, whereas a single seed is placed per 

egg box cavity. Both of these are biodegradable. ‘Ijuba’ containers are also useful 

as seedling containers when cut in half. Remember to make holes at the base of 

these containers to allow excess water to drain out. 

A seedbed can be made under the nursery shelter to protect the young seedlings 

until they are strong enough to be transplanted into the garden. To prepare the 

seed bed: 

1. Loosen the soil to at least 30 cm deep in the seedbed area under the nursery 

shelter. 

2. Sprinkle a wheelbarrow-full of compost over every two square metres of the 

seedbed, to provide nutrients for the young plants to develop. 

3. Work the compost into the soil evenly. 

4. Break up soil clods and even out the surface with a rake. 

5. The seedbed is now ready for planting. 

6. Using a piece of string to get a straight line, make small holes about 2 cm deep 

and 5 cm apart. Larger plants require more space for root development. 

40


7. Place seeds inside the holes and cover them with a little soil. 

8. Water regularly thereafter. 

Some tree species have deep roots, and care should be taken not to break or disturb 

these when plants are removed for transplanting into the garden. Bulbous plants 

can be removed from the seedbed once a bulb has formed. 

1 2 + 3 

4 5 + 6 

SELLING YOUR PRODUCE 

You can grow vegetables and fruit to eat at home, or to sell to other people. If you 

are going to sell to other people and make money, there are some simple business 

principles to remember that will help you get the best prices and regular buyers: 

Sell your high quality produce faster and get higher prices. If your fruit 

and vegetables are not fresh, small, discoloured or show signs of having been 

damaged/eaten by insects, people will either not buy your products or will only 

be prepared to pay low prices. If there is someone else that is selling better quality 

produce in the same market, people will buy from them first and your produce will 

take longer to sell. Because fruit and vegetables are perishable, the longer it takes 

to sell them, the worse the quality gets and so the lower the price you will get. 

41


Regular suppliers of high quality produce have a more secure market. If 

you sell poor quality fruit and vegetables to people (for example vegetables that 

are old but still look OK, or fruit that has been picked too early and doesn’t ripen 

properly), chances are that they will not buy from you again. If you make a habit 

of always selling only high quality products, people will feel that they are getting 

value for money from you and will keep coming back to buy especially from you. 

Make more money by selling your produce as value-added products. You 

can buy a 1 kg mango in a market for about R3. If you took that same mango, 

peeled it, cut it into strips, and dried the strips in the sun, you could sell the dried 

mango strips from the same 1 kg mango for about R6. Similarly, you could make 

a lot more money from your annual crop of Pecan Nuts by taking the shells off the 

nuts and selling the de-shelled nuts in a plastic bag for a higher price. 

Pecan nuts @ R2 per 500 g 

Shelled pecan nuts 

@ R8 per 500 g 

Mangoes @ R3 per kg 

Mango strips @ R6 per kg 

42


Diversify your range of produce for a more regular and secure cash flow. 

If you are only selling tomatoes, you will only have income during the season 

when tomatoes are ripe. If you sell tomatoes, chillis, avocado pears and pawpaws, 

you will have things to sell throughout most of the year. This ensures 

that you will have money to invest in the upkeep of your garden and nursery at 

all times. It also means that if the tomato crop fails one year (for example gets 

infested by insects), you still have a chance to make some money from your 

other crops. 

Whether you are selling your produce to your neighbour, or at a market place, these 

same principles apply. If you are interested in selling your produce at a market, 

these are some options to consider: 

Set up a stall at your local monthly Pensioners Pay-out Point. People have 

money on these days and often use the opportunity to do some shopping. This 

is a good place to sell if you only have a little extra produce from your garden 

that you would like to sell. 

Set up a stall at a Municipal Fresh Produce Market. There are a number 

of Municipal Markets throughout eThekwini where people can get a licence to 

trade from. This is a more expensive option and is only viable if you are able to 

produce lots of fruit and vegetables from your garden that you need to sell. 

Sell your produce to wholesale buyers like supermarkets. Supermarkets 

buy fruit, vegetables, nuts, herbs and spices from people that can supply high 

quality produce on a regular basis. Although this is a secure market, supermarkets 

are very fussy about the quality of the produce and negotiate hard on the prices 

that they will pay. If you sell to a supermarket, you will be competing with 

commercial farmers who can produce good quality products at relatively cheap 

prices because they grow such large quantities of fruit and vegetables. It is best 

to try and sell to supermarkets if you have exceptional or unusual products that 

you can guarantee you will be able to supply regularly at a very high quality. 

43

eing environmentally friendly in ink 

WATER: THE BLUE GOLD 

Water is what makes life possible. It is the one thing that we have on Earth that no 

other planet in our solar system has. 

Water is a resource that is so conveniently provided to us that we often take 

it for granted. But every drop that we use takes energy and resources to keep it 

flowing and safe for our use. 

There is a finite amount of water on Earth, and as the number of people in the 

world increases, so we are finding that water is becoming less and less available. It 

may not seem like this is a problem that could ever affect you, but in South Africa 

more than 98% of our water resources are already allocated for people to use at 

home, for irrigation of farms, for use by industries and for keeping rivers alive. That 

means that only 2% of the water in South Africa is still available for people to access 

as our population continues to increase and our economy to grow. We can thus 

expect to see shortages of water starting to develop within the next 10 to 20 years. 

People say that water will become like Blue Gold in South Africa in the future! 

So, it is OUR RESPONSIBILITY to take action and protect our water resources for 

our generation and for our children of the future. 

When we talk about protecting water resources, this means: 

Making sure that we don’t use more water than we absolutely need to, or waste it. 

Making sure that we don’t pollute or degrade our rivers – the suppliers of our 

water resources. 

don’t 

waste 

don’t 

pollute 

44


HOW MUCH WATER DO YOU USE? 

An average household of 4 people uses 600 litres of water per day. Here are some interesting facts about 

water use: 

10 litres 

150 litres 

A small fl ush toilet can use 10 litres of water or more. 

A human being can live for more than a month without consuming food, but cannot survive for more than 

one week without drinking water. 

Washing a load of laundry uses approximately 150 litres. 

Filling an average size swimming pool uses up to 60 000 litres. 

Small, continuous leaks from taps will waste large amounts of water – 30 drips per minute means a loss 

of 200 litres per month. 

Most of South Africa’s water is used for irrigation. 

One way to check on your water use is to watch your monthly Metro Water bill. 

Dripping taps waste water! 

45


activity 

HOW YOU CAN SAVE WATER 

Some easy tips for saving water: 

THINK about your use of water. There is no substitute for changing your behaviour to be less wasteful of 

water. 

Fit a rainwater collection tank to catch water to use in your garden and for washing. 

Shower instead of taking a bath whenever you can, as this uses much less water. 

If you have a shower, fi t a shower head that reduces water fl ows. These are available from most hardware 

stores. 

Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth. 

Use less water to fl ush the toilet. Put a brick in your toilet cistern to reduce the amount of water that goes 

down the toilet! 

Fix leaking taps and pipes. You would be amazed at how much water can be lost this way. 

Water the garden in the early morning or late afternoon when less of the precious water will evaporate. 

Wash your veggies in a bowl of water instead of under a running tap. 

46


RIVERS ARE IMPORTANT 

Rivers are the natural suppliers of water in our landscape and are very important to 

everyone because: 

They provide water for people to use at home and in the garden. 

They provide water for cattle, goats and other animals to drink. 

They are a place for children to swim and have fun. 

They can be beautiful places to sit next to and relax. 

They take wastes from the land away. 

Rivers are important, but because they act like the bloodstreams of the land (bringing 

water and taking away wastes), but they can easily become polluted. When this 

happens they can cause disease and the benefits that they bring become less. 

All rivers have ‘catchment areas’, which are the areas of land any river drains. 

If we are going to protect our water resources and rivers, we have to be aware 

of what can cause problems in our river catchments and how to fix up a dirty river. 

Please refer to page 61 for more information on rivers. 

47


The 18 catchment units in the INK area 

Mzinyathi River 

Ohlanga 

Headwater 1 

Ohlanga Tributary 

Ohlanga River 

Amawothi River 1 

Amawothi River 2 

Ohlanga 

Headwater 2 

Piesangs River 

Shembe River 

Ghoboghobo River 

Matafana River 

Lower Piesangs 

Piesangs 

Tributary 1 

Piesangs 

Tributary 2 

Umhlangane 

Tributary 

Umgeni 1 

Umgeni 2 

48

SAVING ENERGY 

All energy production and use has an environmental impact. You can be more 

sustainable by using less energy and choosing to use fuels that produce energy 

with the least possible environmental impact. 

HOW MUCH DOES ENERGY COST? 

Have you thought about how much it costs you to cook your dinner every night? 

Depending on the kind of energy that you use, this cost will be different. 

An average household uses around 15 kilowatt hours (a unit measurement of 

energy use) of energy to cook their food per month. If you use a paraffin stove, 

electric cooker, a gas cooker or a wood fire, compare your cooking cost per month 

to the others: 

Paraffin stove: R56/month 

Electric cooker: R31/month 

Gas cooker: R9.80/month 

Wood fire: R9/month 

paraffin stove 

electric cooker 

gas cooker 

wood fire 

49


The reason that the paraffin cooker is the most expensive is that paraffin is an inefficient 

fuel to use for cooking – it is much more efficient for heating (i.e. you use less for 

greater benefit). Electricity is the next most expensive, because electric cookers are 

also not very energy efficient. To cook your food on a gas cooker (using LPG) and to 

cook on a wood fire costs almost the same. However, gas cookers are more healthy 

for you as they don’t produce lots of smoke that can pollute your house. 

You can save money and the environment by choosing more efficient and 

cleaner fuels to cook your food, and to light and heat your home. 

SAVING ENERGY TO SAVE MONEY AND THE EARTH 

Electricity is a very expensive kind of energy. Not only does it cost you – the person 

who uses it – much money, but there are also a lot of very serious environmental 

costs associated with it. The electricity that you use is generated in Gauteng by 

coal-powered electricity generator plants. Coal is burnt to create the electricity 

which is distributed all over the country by powerlines. Burning coal for power 

generation causes large amounts of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases to 

be released into the atmosphere, which is contributing to a phenomenon called 

“global warming”. Petrol and diesel are also very expensive forms of energy, and 

are also major contributors of greenhouses gases when burnt as a fuel. 

Global warming is caused when the chemical composition of the earth’s 

atmosphere is altered by our releases of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases into 

it. These gases stop the heat that radiates off the earth from leaving the atmosphere, 

50


which results in the atmosphere getting hotter and hotter. Global warming is the 

greatest threat that mankind has ever faced, and it is definitely already happening. 

Some of the things we can all expect to experience or witness in our lifetimes that 

will be caused by global warming are: 

Increasing average air temperatures. 

Sea level rise and flooding of coastal land. 

More frequent and intense storms. 

More severe flooding. 

More severe and longer droughts. 

Throughout the world, it has been recognised that we have to reduce our greenhouse 

gas emissions by 60% by the year 2050 in order to avoid severe consequences. 

Everyone, including YOU, must respond to this call if we are to have any hope of 

achieving this. No-one really understands what will happen to the earth and to 

people if we don’t slow global warming down, but the predictions are frightening. 

DID YOU KNOW? 

Between 1 and 6kg of coal must be burnt per day to provide you with electricity for your house, and this results 

in up to 20kg of greenhouses being released into the atmosphere – just from YOUR consumption of electricity 

at home! 

So how can YOU help? 

By reducing the amount of electricity you use. 

By reducing the amount of petrol, diesel and LPG you use. 

By burning less coal, which is the ‘dirtiest’ type of energy. 

By using sustainable forms of energy where possible (e.g. solar power and solar water heaters). 

Remember that by saving energy, you are saving money AND saving the earth. 

51


activity 

Saving energy at home 

Here are some simple tips for saving energy at home, work and school: 

Do not leave lights burning in rooms where it is not required. 

Use energy-saving light bulbs. 

Use LPG/paraffin for cooking and heating as it is more efficient for these purposes than electricity. 

energy-saving 

lightbulb 

use natural ventilation 

control instead of fans and 

heaters where possible 

switch off TVs, 

computers and radios 

when not in use 

don’t leave 

lights burning 

unnecessarily 

Regulate the temperature inside your house in winter by sealing windows and doors. 

Turn off small appliances, like radios, TV’s and computers when not in use. 

If you are going to buy electric appliances like fridges, microwaves and ovens, choose products that have a 

good energy effi ciency rating. 

Walk or bicycle to the shops instead of driving. 

Use taxis and buses as often as possible, rather than driving by yourself in a car. 

Make sure your car is well tuned so that it does not burn more oil and fuel than is necessary. 

Do not drive around with roof racks on top of the car unless you are using them, as this increases the 

amount of fuel the car will use. 

energy efficiency rating 

use sustainable forms of 

transport where possible 

52


Setting Yourself up with Solar Energy Systems 

Your Own Solar Panel 

Solar panels consist of a thin layer of a silicon or metal alloy that converts light into 

energy. The energy is stored in a battery, which you can connect your households 

wiring to. 

Solar panels are widely available and vary in cost, depending on the size. 

Once you have installed your solar power system, you will not have to pay 

monthly power costs. 

Solar power systems cost money to install but last for more than 20 years and so 

save you money in the long run. 

Solar power is always available, even when there are power cuts in your area. 

Solar power does not cause pollution like the generation of electricity does. 

Your Own Solar Water Heater 

You can buy your own solar water heater for between R1,000 and R2,000. With 

this in place you will not have to use an electric geyser or paraffin boiler – both of 

which cost money to run. Once you have set your solar water heater up, you will 

not have a monthly fuel/electricity bill to pay for heating water. 

The idea behind the solar water heater is to put a whole lot of pipes containing 

the water you want heated into a ‘panel’, which is exposed to the sun and that gets 

heated and drains into a tank where the heated water is stored. There are many 

different models available. The best position for the solar water heater panel is in an 

unshaded position (on the roof is often best) angled to face north/northwest. 

53

REDUCING WASTE & RECYCLING 

By making decisions about what you buy and how you dispose of it, you can help 

protect our environment. 

WASTE MATTERS 

The Durban Solid Waste trucks that rumble up and down your street are carrying 

away your neighbourhood’s waste. The few bags of rubbish that you see in 

these trucks may not look like a lot, but thousands of tonnes of solid waste goes 

into eThekwini’s landfill sites every year. As our landfill sites are now filling up, 

government has had to look for places to build new ones. With every new landfill 

site comes a lot of costs, many unhappy landfill site neighbours, and serious impacts 

on the natural environment. 

We often do not see the impact of the waste that we generate. Landfills are 

designed to take certain types of wastes. A few are specifically designed to contain 

hazardous waste materials, but most are not. If hazardous materials are disposed 

of in a landfill not designed for that purpose, the material can eventually seep 

through the soil, contaminating it and the groundwater. Some common household 

products, like detergents, pesticides, paints and solvents can introduce toxic 

substances into the environment. 

Everything we consume eventually becomes waste. What we do with this 

waste can make all the difference. Do we bury it and hope it ‘goes away’, or do we 

get creative and put it to use? 

54


WHAT IS YOUR RUBBISH AND WHERE DOES IT GO? 

Take a minute to think about what you throw away. It most likely includes: 

Food and organic waste – about 35% 

Paper – 25% 

Other mixed waste – 25% 

Plastics – 7% 

Metals – 5% 

Glass – 3% 

metals glass 

5% 3% 

plastics 

7% 

food or organic 

35% 

paper 

25% 

other mixed 

25% 

If you put this waste out for Durban Solid Waste to collect, it will all go to the nearest 

landfill site, which for the INK area is Bisasar Road Landfill Site (in the Springfield 

area, off Umgeni Road near the N2 bridge). This Landfill Site was opened in 1980 

and is now filling up so fast that it won’t be able to take any more waste by 2017, 

just 11 years from now. A new Landfill Site will have to be built to accommodate 

your and the rest of eThekwini’s waste. 

55


activity 

What you can do at home to recycle 

YOU can assist in slowing down this process by reducing your waste outputs. 

You should also take note of just what you throw away. Some of this waste is valuable, 

and can be re-used or recycled, so you should keep these items to one side. 

If you are going to care for the environment and be responsible about your waste, you need to know which 

products you have in your house that are hazardous or toxic. Any product with the following symbol on it is 

hazardous: 

You should avoid buying, or limit your use of products that have these labels in your home, at work and 

at school. There are some environmentally friendly alternatives to products that often contain hazardous 

substances that you can use at home, work and school. 

56


Product 

Air freshener 

Chemical fertiliser 

Chlorine bleach 

Drain cleaner 

Herbicide 

Insecticide 

Washing powder 

Oven cleaner 

Paint and thinners 

Scouring powder 

Toilet bowl cleaner 

Bath and tile cleaner 

Window/glass cleaner 

Environmentally friendly alternative 

Use an open box of baking soda or a dish fi lled with vinegar. 

Use organic compost, manure or seaweed to fertilise your soil. 

Use washing powder or non-chlorine bleach. 

1 

/2 cup baking soda 

1 

/2 cup vinegar 

Pour soda, then vinegar and close the drain until the fi zzing stops. Flush with 

boiling water. 

Use mulch in your garden to minimise weed growth, handpick stray weeds. 

Wash or spray plants with soapy water or use the guide in the ‘Edible Gardens’ 

section of this booklet. 

Use bio-degradeable products or pure soap. 

Absorb fresh spills by sprinkling with table salt while still warm. When cool, 

brush and wipe off. Hardened dirt can be softened with a paste mix of borax 

powder and lemon juice. 

Use water-based paint and thinners/solvents where possible. 

Make a paste of baking soda and water. Leave for a few minutes for tough 

stains. 

Make a paste of borax powder and lemon juice. Rub the toilet bowl with the 

paste and leave for a few hours. Scrub with a brush and fl ush. 

Use baking powder for routine cleaning, a borax and lemon juice paste for tough 

soap scum. 

Mix 1 /4 cup vinegar with 1 cup water. Spray onto glass and wipe. 

57


HOW YOU CAN REDUCE, RE-USE and RECYCLE WASTE 

The 3-R’s – Reduce, Re-Use and Recycle – are the golden rules of responsible waste 

management. 

Reduce – by adopting practices that decrease your generation of waste in the 

first place. For example choosing to buy products that have less packaging that you 

will need to dispose of; or fixing up an old piece of furniture to keep using at home 

instead of throwing it away and buying a new one. 

Re-use – materials again and again. For example, keep your own set of bags to 

take to the supermarket and avoid buying more bags each time you go; or sell your 

old furniture to someone who will fix it up and re-use it instead of throwing it away; 

old towels and linen can be given to your local SPCA instead of thrown out. 

Recycle – items like paper, glass and used oil where there are recycling collection 

centres or organisations in your area. These items are reprocessed into other useful 

products. 

Composting your organic waste is also a form of recycling, where you also benefit 

from making your own nutrient-rich compost which you can use in your garden or 

sell to your neighbours! You can reduce the waste output of your household by at 

least a third, just be composting your organic waste. 

Stick to the 3-Rs 

activity 

You can make a different by sticking to the 3-R’s. Some easy ways to do this are: 

Buying recycled products 

Buying durable products 

that will last. 

Choosing products that are 

not over-packaged. 

Never buying more 

products that contain hazardous chemicals than 

you need and look for less toxic alternatives. 

Bringing your own re-usable shopping bags to 

the store. 

Using rechargeable batteries. 

Collecting and recycling paper and glass. 

Recycle your printer cartridges. 

Use email for getting your bank statements etc 

rather than receiving paper copies in the post. 

58

MAKING GOOD NEIGHBOURS 

Your neighbours are people that live or work in the same area as you. You are also a 

neighbour to them. All the neighbours in your area make up your community. 

Having a positive feeling of community is important. This is because there are 

many challenges and problems that people in your area might face that they cannot 

overcome as individuals. Collective action is far more powerful! 

There are lots of environmental sustainability problems that need collective and 

co-operative action in the community to be resolved. For example, if your river is 

becoming polluted and children are getting sick from the water, then you and your 

neighbours can investigate who/what activity amongst you is polluting the natural 

water system. Because the water system links you to all your neighbours in the river 

catchment, you will be unlikely to resolve the problem on your own! 

Another reason to foster good neighbourliness is to combat crime. If everyone is 

looking out for their neighbour, there will not only be less opportunity for crime to 

happen, but also people ready to help if there is an incident. 

Being a good neighbour is about: 

being aware of how your actions affect other people and trying to minimise any 

negative impact your actions might on other people’s lives or property 

being observant of how other people’s actions affect you and others in the area 

watching out and 

being concerned 

for other people’s 

safety and wellbeing 

being positive 

and working cooperatively 

with 

people in your 

area to solve 

problems that 

affect you all. 

59


activity 

WHO ARE YOUR NEIGHBOURS? 

You need to know who your neighbours are if you are going to work towards making a strong 

sense of community in your area. You can do a project to fi nd out about your neighbours so that 

you can be a good neighbour to them and help make a better area for everyone to live in. 

PROJECT MATERIALS 

You will need a map of your area, showing where the roads are, business areas, residential areas and shops. 

PROJECT ACTIVITIES 

1. Who are your neighbours? 

Identify and make a list of who your neighbours are. The defi nition of a neighbour needs to be set as a person, 

business or other land use activity that could either be impacted on you and activities that happen, or that 

impacts on you. 

Neighbours could include: 

residents 

local businesses 

local shops 

local factories 

people living downstream of your home. 

2. Why are they your neighbours? 

Identify why you think each of the neighbours is a neighbour. A list must be drawn up of: 

a) activities that happen at your home that impact on the neighbours 

b) activities that happen at the neighbours that impact on you at home. 

3. Walking the neighbourhood 

If possible, walk the local neighbourhood to verify that 

neighbours have been identifi ed correctly, and that the 

reasons that you have identifi ed these people/businesses 

as neighbours are correct. If this is not possible, a 

targeted visit to one neighbour that has a particularly 

strong relationship with you should be undertaken. 

Talk to the neighbours to discuss your 

respective relationship to that person/business. 

4. Being Better Neighbours 

Make a list of actions to improve your relationship 

with your neighbours. This should include any 

projects that could be undertaken to jointly address 

collective problems in the neighbourhood. 

60

UNDERSTANDING and PROTECTING YOUR RIVER 

A SCHOOLS PROJECT 

Rivers reflect the communities living in the catchment, their actions, levels of 

awareness and care, and their needs. Students can interpret the ‘language’ of a 

river, such that much can be understood about how people live, and how their 

actions affect natural systems. 

You can do a project at school to look at the health of your local river, and to 

determine the causes of any problems. You can do this by having a River Workshop. 1 

The River Workshop will enable the students at your school to: 

develop an awareness of local environmental problems and issues; 

develop action competencies that empower them to become constructively 

involved in the local environment; 

come to a better understanding of the environment from a multi-disciplinary 

perspective, thereby developing a more holistic view of the complexity of 

environmental problems. 

Workshop Outline 

1. Introductory Activity: First Visit to the River 

This activity serves to familiarise students with the river, and to illustrate 

the reasons why rivers are vitally important ‘real world’ starting points for 

environmental education. 

2. Work Session: If Rivers Could Speak... 

This activity helps to guide the investigations of students by focusing on specific 

aspects of the river and the river catchment. 

3. Building a Model 

A model is useful in communicating research findings and to display and 

introduce the project to the wider school community. 

1 This method has been extracted directly from Schreuder, D. 1997. Teaching for a Sustainable World: international edition. Module 

15: River Studies for Primary Schools. 

61


4. Researching and Investigating: Who is Killing our River? 

Students get the opportunity to engage in finding out, researching and asking 

questions. 

5. Fitting It All Together 

Students develop a more holistic picture of the interaction of people with the 

environment, and how they could contribute towards better management of 

the natural environment. 

Workshop Materials 

A. Provided Resources 

Resource 1: Common Symptoms of Degraded River Systems, with Possible Causes 

and Suggested Actions to Improve Conditions 

Resource 2: Historical Research on a River 

Resource 3: A Questionnaire on the Condition of the Catchment Area 

Resource 4: Observation of the River 

Resource 5: Biological Indications of River Quality 

62


B. To Obtain 

Activity 1: 

Activity 2: 

A local river or stream should be selected as the focus of the activity. A 

simple map should be prepared and the stream divided into sections for 

groups of students. 

A brief background to the history of human settlement and use of the 

river should be prepared as an introduction to students. 

Resources and Useful Contacts 

The Schools Water Project (SWAP), EEPUS, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag 

X1, MATIELAND 7602, South Africa: 

• Low-cost Test Kits (for junior and senior school phases); 

• Recipes and guidelines to make your own test materials; 

• Printed resources that can be adapted for local use;. 

• Case studies and reports. 

• UMGENI WATER: External Education Service, P O Box 9, Pietermaritzburg 

3200, South Africa. 

Workshop Activities 

1. First Visit to the River 

Background and Discussion 

Through observation and the use of tools to investigate we can understand more 

of what rivers can tell us. Human activities in the catchment are all reflected in the 

river. An investigation into the historical and geographical features of the river as 

well as a preliminary survey on litter and other signs of human interference, and 

river bank vegetation can be a good start. 

Preliminary Investigation 

For this purpose a section of the river within reasonable distance from the school, 

and where students can safely move about, should be selected. This section is 

roughly mapped on a worksheet and divided into smaller sections which can be 

assigned to the different groups. Groups are assigned to: 

find out about some physical aspects such as depth of water, width of stream, 

plant cover of banks, nature of river bed (mud, sand, boulders, gravel); 

63


find signs of human interference such as channelling, reinforcement of banks, bridges, 

weirs, pipes (sewage, drainage), pollution, littering and signs of rehabilitation; 

make rough sketches on the worksheet, collect plant samples and indicate 

where they are found, and take photographs or make drawings of characteristic 

features such as unspoilt places, badly polluted areas, etc. 

2. Work Session: If Rivers Could Speak... 

Introduction 

This activity is designed to provide students the opportunity to realise why rivers are 

such important parts of natural and social systems, and how elementary research 

can contribute to a greater understanding of their key importance. It can also lead 

to a better understanding of how humans can adversely influence the environment, 

how these effects can be reflected in the quality of rivers. 

A description of the river as it flows through the area, some characteristics of 

the settlements in the catchment area (residential, industrial, agricultural) should be 

presented to students. 

Students divide into groups of 4-10 each. Each group is assigned to the river (or 

tributary, or stream) that they have visited during Activity 1. One student in each group is 

selected to respond on behalf of the river on a number of questions such as: 

Is your water drinkable? Why not? 

How did you look like 100 years ago? 

What are the causes of your biggest problems? 

64


What is your real function in this area? 

What would you like to do most for the community, and what makes it 

difficult? 

Which part of the area that you move through do you like most? And least? 

At the end of the interview students must put together a short summary of the 

responses they got from the ‘river’ and report it to the rest of the group. 

The group helps the teacher putting together a list of the most harmful effects 

of human activities in the catchment. 

3. Building a Model 

A model or a chart of the area to be investigated could be a useful way of keeping 

a record of findings and also seasonal and other changes taking place in the 

catchment. 

Using recycled or other cheap materials, a rigid base and suitable scale, a model 

of the river section can be constructed by each group based on the information that 

they have gathered during the first visit. Use old newspapers for machè, empty toilet 

rolls for drainage pipes, lollipop-sticks for construction of bridges, etc. Features such 

as position of shrubs and trees, height of the bank, seasonal flow and depth of the 

water, man-made structures, etc. should be indicated 

This model could be kept at a central venue in a classroom or a school laboratory 

and used to display features uncovered by ongoing research projects. 

4. Research Projects: Who is Killing our River? 

Various aspects of the river and the catchment area could be researched on an 

ongoing basis by student groups. 

These aspects should, when properly researched on a medium-term basis, 

generate sufficient data to give a holistic picture of the river and its catchment, and 

the communities living there. Students should be encouraged to investigate the 

causes of abnormalities and to plan some action towards the improvement of the 

environment (see Resource 1). 

It might be wise to involve some other schools in the catchment to become 

involved in a similar project on another section of the catchment. Information 

gathered and shared among schools can serve to cover larger sections of the 

65


catchment, making the knowledge base much more useful. In this way students 

also learn about other communities and their needs and life-styles. 

Experience has proved that a key aspect of river and catchment investigations 

is the co-operation of Local Authorities and the community. Local Authorities are 

usually quite open and co-operative, and might well support any efforts at improving 

the environment from the school and general communities. In a number of case 

studies Local Authorities have even supported these projects financially (transport, 

test materials, etc.) 

The co-operation of teachers from a variety of school disciplines should be sought 

(the geography teacher for catchment studies, history teacher for historical aspects, 

the language teacher for interviews and writing letters, art teacher for building models, 

etc.) Regular networking with similar projects in other parts of the world are also 

critically important, as new ideas, materials and resources can be readily accessed. 

66


Research topics could include the following aspects of the river and catchment: 

historical background (changes brought about by human activities); 

geographical features of catchment; 

physical aspects; 

biological indicators; and 

chemical aspects. 

For activities investigating biological and chemical indicators, some specialised equipment 

is required. Low-cost test kits and a variety of other resources have been developed and 

are readily available. Refer to the list of Resources and Useful Contacts. 

Resources 2-5 could serve as guidelines for structuring these investigations. 

Students should be encouraged to keep careful records of all observations; where 

possible, these should be plotted on the model or chart of the river. Regular and 

efficient displays of the progress of the investigations should be encouraged in order 

to stimulate wider involvement among the rest of the students and staff members. 

5. Fitting It All Together... 

Only when the results of the investigations are properly interpreted, can strategies 

for taking action be planned. This is the ultimate aim of a project of this nature. 

Many similar projects are not achieving their potential, as teachers and students 

regard their tasks as completed after the investigations are over. 

Interpreting results may be demanding, but the resourceful teacher will find 

ways and resources to assist in this task. Due to the tremendous diversity of 

situations in catchments, a universal recipe for interpreting these results is not 

feasible. Resource 1 lists some of the typical symptoms identified by students in 

similar projects, their possible causes and some of the actions that could be taken 

to improve conditions. 

67


Resource 1 

Common Symptoms of Degraded River Systems, with Possible Causes 

and Suggested Actions to Improve Conditions 

SYMPTOM POSSIBLE CAUSE(S) POSSIBLE ACTION 

Turbidity of water is high; contains Erosion problems in catchment; Revegetation; visits/talks/friendly letters 

high percentage of soil particles overgrazing, bad agricultural to farmers/local authorities 

practices, lack of suitable plant 

cover 

Stream choked by algae/other High content of dissolved Obtain information from authorities; 

plant growth nutrients such as phosphates look out for household waste water 

and nitrates due to household that lands in river 

waste or agricultural runoff 

High content of organic particles; Dead plant or animal material Study of communities and report-back; 

water smelly; low dissolved oxygen being dumped; lack of proper letters/interviews with local authorities 

content 

sanitation in catchment 

pH (alkalinity/acidity) of the water Industrial waste being pumped Letters to suspect factories or industries 

abnormal (too low, too high) into the river 

Littering on banks and in the Uncaring public; poverty and Cleanup campaigns involving the 

stream other socio-economic problems community; poster campaigns; create 

recreation areas/trails on river banks 

Badly eroded river banks Lack of suitable plant cover Planting of indigenous shrubs or trees 

obtained from local nurseries/ 

authorities 

Flow obstructed 

Trees fallen; debris accumulated; Cleanups; revegetation; removal of 

weirs built 

obstructions 

68


Resource 2 

Historical Research on a River 

Name of person interviewed: ........................................................................................................................ 

Address: ....................................................................................................................................................... 

.................................................................................................................................................................... 

Phone: ......................................................................................................................................................... 

Date of Interview: ......................................................................................................................................... 

Question: ..................................................................................................................................................... 

.................................................................................................................................................................... 

Answer: ....................................................................................................................................................... 

.................................................................................................................................................................... 

Question: ..................................................................................................................................................... 

.................................................................................................................................................................... 

Answer: ....................................................................................................................................................... 

.................................................................................................................................................................... 

This interview was conducted by: .................................................................................................................. 

Glue in a photograph or a drawing of the person you interviewed 

69


Resource 3 

A Questionnaire on the Condition of the Catchment Area 

See if you can answer these questions: 

1. Who lives in the catchment area? Write down all the different types of communities, e.g. farmers, squatters, 

city-dwellers. 

............................................................................................................................................................. 

2. What do they do? How do they use their soil or land? 

............................................................................................................................................................. 

3. How far away from the river do the humans live, farm, etc.? 

............................................................................................................................................................. 

4. What is the condition of the bank vegetation (plants)? 

............................................................................................................................................................. 

5. Are there rubbish dumps in the catchment area? How close are they to the river? 

............................................................................................................................................................. 

6. Have farming, housing and recreational (e.g. sport, picnics, camping, etc.) activities changed the 

vegetation? 

............................................................................................................................................................. 

7. What is the condition of the wetlands surrounding the river? Have they been filled in or polluted in any way? 

............................................................................................................................................................. 

8. Are there any other observations you can make? Is there anything unusual or different you want to 

record? 

............................................................................................................................................................. 

9. Discuss the following questions with the other members of your group: 

(a) Would you say that the catchment area has changed over the years? Yes/ No/ Don’t know 

(You can talk to older members of your community about this.) 

(b) Is clean water released throughout the year by the wetlands? Yes/ No/ Don’t know. 

(c) Is the vegetation on the river banks suffi cient to protect against fl ooding? Yes/ No/ Don’t know. 

(d) Is the river polluted? Can it supply clean water for humans and animals? Yes/ No/ Don’t know. 

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Resource 4 

Observation of the River 

1. What does the riverbed look like? (bottom and sides of the river) 

Circle the things that you see on the riverbed and banks: 

Mud/Silt/Sand/Small stones/Big stones/Rocks/Concrete 

2. How deep is the water in the river? Estimate and circle the right answer: 

0-10 cm/10-25 cm/25-50 cm/deeper than 50 cm 

3. How broad is the river? Estimate: _______ metres. 

4. How fast does the water fl ow? 

Throw a leaf into the water and measure how long it takes to move 5 metres. Circle the right answer: 

The leaf took: less than 5 seconds (very fast)/5-10 seconds (fast)/10-15 seconds (slowly)/more than 15 

seconds (very slowly) 

5. Which of these things do you see? Circle and fi ll in: 

(a) Refuse material (rubbish): plastic/paper/glass/tins/boxes 

Any other: 

(b) Sewage or animal excretions: cloudy/grey/slime/green slime 

....................................................................................................................................................... 

(c) Industrial waste/effl uent: oil/foam/silt 

....................................................................................................................................................... 

(d) Dead animals: dogs/cats/fi sh/birds/frogs/cattle 

....................................................................................................................................................... 

(e) Soil erosion: muddy water 

....................................................................................................................................................... 

(f) What else do you see? Write down any other unnatural or unusual natural materials that you can see? 

....................................................................................................................................................... 

6. A simple test to fi nd out the health risk of water from our river 

(a) Fill a glass with river water. Do not drink the water however clean it looks! 

(b) Look at the colour, and smell the water. 

(c) Do you think the water is suitable for people or animals to drink? Circle your answer: 

Defi nitely not/Maybe not/Smells clean/looks clean. 

(d) Why do you say so? What did you observe? 

............................................................................................................................................................... 

7. Discuss your observations in your group: 

(a) Do you think it is safe for people and animals to drink this water? Yes/No/Don’t know. 

(b) Is the river polluted and degraded (in a bad condition)? Yes/No/Don’t know. 

71


Resource 5 

Biological Indications of River Quality 

Pick up 5-10 big stones in the middle of the stream. Brush off all the little 

animals that are on the bottom of the rock with a brush. 

Invertebrates are also found in mud and sand. Use your stick to 

scratch around and a net to scoop up the creatures you unearth. 

Remember to cause as little damage as possible. Put back all rocks in 

their original position. After you have counted and identifi ed the life you 

fi nd, return them to the place you found them. 

Organisms Extremely Highly Moderately Pollution How many 

Sensitive Sensitive Sensitive Tolerant did you find? 

1. Mayfl y Nymph X 

2. Stonefl y Nymph X 

3. Caddisfl y Larva X 

4. Flatworm X 

5. Dragonfl y Nymph X 

6. Whirligig Beetle X 

7. Water Snail X 

8. Midge Larva X 

9. Rat-tailed Maggot X 

10. Sludge Worm X 

11. Water Algae X 

Total for each column? 

Have you found any other organisms? Draw them in the space below and you can perhaps identify them later. 

Use a magnifying glass if you need to. 

....................................................................................................................................................................... 

How many different types of animals/organisms did you fi nd in total? 

....................................................................................................................................................................... 

This tells you about the diversity (different types) of animal/insect life in the river. 

Remember to return all the creatures exactly where you found them. 

Do not drink the water even if the results look good. There might be other types of pollution in 

the water. 

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Notes 

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BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Alberta Environment. Saving the World Begins at Home: A Personal Guide to Managing Household 

Waste. www.environment.gov.ab.ca. 

Diederichs, N, et al. 2006. Commercialising Medicinal Plants: A Southern African Guide. Sun Press, 

Stellenbosch. 

Diederichs, N. 2001. Dictionary of Popularly Traded Plants in South Africa. Share-Net, Howick. 

Diederichs, N, Mander, M, Crouch, N, Spring, W, McKean, S & Symmonds, R. 2002. Knowing & 

Growing Muthi. Share-Net, Howick. 

Nel, M. 1996. The Permaculture Booklet. Eskom Community Development Fund. 

Schreuder, D. 1997. Teaching for a Sustainable World: international edition. Module 15: River 

Studies for Primary Schools. http://www.deh.gov.au/education/publications/tsw/modules/module15. 

html#res1 

Trees for Africa. The Greening Booklet: All About Trees. SAFCOL. 

Valley Trust, Umgeni Valley Project. 1996. Health Gardening: A Guide to Growing Food for Life. 

Share-Net, Howick. 

Van Den Berg, I. 1995. Hands-on Soil and Compost Life, A Field Guide. Share-Net, Howick. 

www.greatergoodsa.co.za 

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