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24 March 2009

Western Cape Premier Lynne Brown got her hands dirty today in March when she launched a green rights project in Delft in which hundreds of activists will roll out 250 food gardens to beneficiaries in the area over a five day period.
Beneficiaries will each be provided with a food suitcase from the Department of Agriculture that contains all materials needed to grow a food garden, including gardening tools.

In her State of the Province Address (SOPA) in February, the Premier challenged citizens to become actively involved in uplifting the poorer communities of the province. Her personal commitment was to allocate the budget for an elaborate post SOPA gala event to a sustainable development project.
"Creating food gardens in Delft is the kind of activist project we need to see taking place in the Western Cape,” she said. “Poor communities in the province have been hard hit by the global economic crisis, and food security has become increasingly important issue for our people.”

“Greening Delft serves many purposes. Besides residents being able to grow their own vegetables, and ensuring the health of their families in this way, creating green spaces in urban environments has social and environmental benefits.”
“Green and leafy communities shouldn't just be the preserve of the middle class. Children need space in which to run. Adults need space where they can relax or socialise. Property values increase and on a human level, people have a common interest which draws them together and helps to create bonds between them,” she said.

The Premier added that the project had brought together five government departments who have worked together to ensure that the initiative succeeds.
The Office of the Premier, Agriculture, Cultural Affairs and Sport, Local Government and Housing and Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Departments have contributed time, money and sweat equity from staff, many of whom will be actively digging in the gardens, to the project. Altogether 2 700 homes have already gone up in Delft Precincts seven to nine where the food gardens are being rolled out of which 1 700 have been handed over to beneficiaries so far.

Hundreds more families, all residents of informal settlements or backyarders from the Delft area, are expected to receive free homes in the coming weeks. 70 percent of the homes are allocated to former residents of informal settlements and 30 percent to backyarders. More than 10 000 families will eventually be settled in 40 square metre Breaking New Ground (BNG)homes on the N2 Gateway in Delft, representing an estimated 50 000 people.

Premier Brown concluded, “It is in the interests of us all rich, middle class and poor to narrow the gap that divides us. Our war on poverty has to continue until no one has to go hungry. Food security is essential to our future. Let us work together to ensure that malnutrition is a thing of our past.”

Enquiries:
An Wentzel
Tel: 021 483 2536
Cell: 072 3366 385
E-mail: awentzel@pgwc.gov.za

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Western Cape Provincial Government
24 March 2009
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government (http://www.capegateway.gov.za/)