The Power of Community is Positive Change
Save Princess Vlei! 10.10.10 - Global 350.org Work Party
Dear Friends,
We are meeting at Princess Vlei this Sunday 10.10.10 at 10 am for the 350.org Global Work Party. This is an international climate change movement, calling onto people everywhere to help reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
The goal is to unite different sectors of society behind the simple idea by working together we can cut carbon emissions by 10 % in a single year, starting Sunday.
We are going to plant some trees, so bring your spade, good spirit and a picnic basket for afterwards.
Why Princess Vlei?
Princess Vlei is the most natural and ecologically and socially the most important of the wetlands that once covered most of the Cape Flats. It is under threat from a City of Cape Town plan to have a shopping centre built on its eastern shore, on the land between Princess Vlei and Prince George Drive. This option is incompatible with other options and is irreversible. We oppose it as we believe it would destroy both the ecosystem and the Princess Vlei cultural heritage site.This is the last opportunity for the Cape Town public, and in particular the communities living around the vlei, to rescue this neglected jewel of public open space and to turn it into something of value for these communities.
Wetland conservation
Cape Town and South Africa have lost too many wetlands to be able to afford more degradation of these vital ecosystems. The Cape Flats was originally a mosaic of seasonally flooded wetlands of different sizes. Their hydrological and ecological functioning is still poorly understood. Most streams and wetlands have been built over, canalized and drastically changed over the years, usually in ill-advised and mostly unsuccessful attempts to control flooding of the Cape Flats. Seasonal flooding of residential areas occupied by poor people remains an enormous problem in Cape Town. The more urban development has taken place, the more valuable the remaining water bodies and their hydrological, ecological and recreational functions have become.
Recent flooding events highlight the need for wetland and natural open areas to absorb high levels of water run-off. Flooding risks are set to increase with expected future climate change. Conversely we also need wetlands to retain water during dry times.
Critically Endangered vegetation on the site
The vegetation on the site was formerly Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, which has disappeared from the Cape Flats. It is the most Critically Endangered vegetation in South Africa urgently requiring restoration. Only very small patches occur elsewhere, and only on particular sandy acid soil. To restore this original vegetation would be of the most significant conservation value. Very little remains, if any, of this vegetation where the shopping centre is proposed, but the original soil is intact and it is likely seeds and bulbs could have survived.
The Khoe Princess and her descendants
The Baseline Study, EIA, public participation, RoD and approval process entirely failed to take into account the cultural and historical importance of Princess Vlei.
According to stories told by Khoe herders, passed on by slaves and recounted by Jose Burman in Safe To The Sea (Human & Rousseau 1962) the vlei was named for a powerful Khoe Princess whose headquarters was on Constantiaberg in what is today called Elephant Eye cave, clearly visible from the vlei. She and her Gorachoqua people would bring their cattle down the Princess Kasteel Stream to the vlei, a site where initiation and other rituals were performed. While bathing there in 1510, she was abducted by sailors from the ship of Portuguese explorer Francesco d’Almeida, who in 1513 on a return visit also died in a skirmish at the Cape. According to local tradition, her tears formed Little Princess Vlei and one person drowns each year in Princess Vlei in retribution.
During the 500 years that followed, the Gorachoqua and their descendants suffered enslavement, disposession, deculturation, apartheid, forced removal and countless other injustices. Deprived of access to most of Cape Town’s recreational beaches and scenic sites, they nicknamed the northern shore of Princess Vlei “Claremont Beach” and the area around Little Princess Vlei “Galaland”. But although Princess Vlei remained a popular site for outdoor recreation, religious worship and baptism, it was poorly managed and badly neglected by the City, as for example when used on occasion to dump sand and rubble from roadworks on Prince George Drive and silt dredged from the lake.
Many Khoe descendants on the Cape Flats regard the cave, the vlei and the Princess Kasteel Stream to be their culturally and historically most valued sites in Cape Town. There is now growing local opposition to the shopping centre.
There is a very good chance that Princess Vlei can be saved!
Restoration of the landscape and natural vegetation
The Cape Flats Wetlands Forum “Saving the Princess” project has demonstrated that restoration is feasible. This option is compatible with the restoration of both the lake and Crititically Endangered fynbos, with a botanic garden and with a heritage memorial park and sunset amphitheater.
For more detailed information please read the documents attached as well as the 2 objection letters. We need as many associations and individuals to submit before 23 October 2010.
We look forward to planting trees together this Sunday.
We are meeting at Princess Vlei this Sunday 10.10.10 at 10 am for the 350.org Global Work Party. This is an international climate change movement, calling onto people everywhere to help reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.
The goal is to unite different sectors of society behind the simple idea by working together we can cut carbon emissions by 10 % in a single year, starting Sunday.
We are going to plant some trees, so bring your spade, good spirit and a picnic basket for afterwards.
Why Princess Vlei?
Princess Vlei is the most natural and ecologically and socially the most important of the wetlands that once covered most of the Cape Flats. It is under threat from a City of Cape Town plan to have a shopping centre built on its eastern shore, on the land between Princess Vlei and Prince George Drive. This option is incompatible with other options and is irreversible. We oppose it as we believe it would destroy both the ecosystem and the Princess Vlei cultural heritage site.This is the last opportunity for the Cape Town public, and in particular the communities living around the vlei, to rescue this neglected jewel of public open space and to turn it into something of value for these communities.
Wetland conservation
Cape Town and South Africa have lost too many wetlands to be able to afford more degradation of these vital ecosystems. The Cape Flats was originally a mosaic of seasonally flooded wetlands of different sizes. Their hydrological and ecological functioning is still poorly understood. Most streams and wetlands have been built over, canalized and drastically changed over the years, usually in ill-advised and mostly unsuccessful attempts to control flooding of the Cape Flats. Seasonal flooding of residential areas occupied by poor people remains an enormous problem in Cape Town. The more urban development has taken place, the more valuable the remaining water bodies and their hydrological, ecological and recreational functions have become.
Recent flooding events highlight the need for wetland and natural open areas to absorb high levels of water run-off. Flooding risks are set to increase with expected future climate change. Conversely we also need wetlands to retain water during dry times.
Critically Endangered vegetation on the site
The vegetation on the site was formerly Cape Flats Sand Fynbos, which has disappeared from the Cape Flats. It is the most Critically Endangered vegetation in South Africa urgently requiring restoration. Only very small patches occur elsewhere, and only on particular sandy acid soil. To restore this original vegetation would be of the most significant conservation value. Very little remains, if any, of this vegetation where the shopping centre is proposed, but the original soil is intact and it is likely seeds and bulbs could have survived.
The Khoe Princess and her descendants
The Baseline Study, EIA, public participation, RoD and approval process entirely failed to take into account the cultural and historical importance of Princess Vlei.
According to stories told by Khoe herders, passed on by slaves and recounted by Jose Burman in Safe To The Sea (Human & Rousseau 1962) the vlei was named for a powerful Khoe Princess whose headquarters was on Constantiaberg in what is today called Elephant Eye cave, clearly visible from the vlei. She and her Gorachoqua people would bring their cattle down the Princess Kasteel Stream to the vlei, a site where initiation and other rituals were performed. While bathing there in 1510, she was abducted by sailors from the ship of Portuguese explorer Francesco d’Almeida, who in 1513 on a return visit also died in a skirmish at the Cape. According to local tradition, her tears formed Little Princess Vlei and one person drowns each year in Princess Vlei in retribution.
During the 500 years that followed, the Gorachoqua and their descendants suffered enslavement, disposession, deculturation, apartheid, forced removal and countless other injustices. Deprived of access to most of Cape Town’s recreational beaches and scenic sites, they nicknamed the northern shore of Princess Vlei “Claremont Beach” and the area around Little Princess Vlei “Galaland”. But although Princess Vlei remained a popular site for outdoor recreation, religious worship and baptism, it was poorly managed and badly neglected by the City, as for example when used on occasion to dump sand and rubble from roadworks on Prince George Drive and silt dredged from the lake.
Many Khoe descendants on the Cape Flats regard the cave, the vlei and the Princess Kasteel Stream to be their culturally and historically most valued sites in Cape Town. There is now growing local opposition to the shopping centre.
There is a very good chance that Princess Vlei can be saved!
Restoration of the landscape and natural vegetation
The Cape Flats Wetlands Forum “Saving the Princess” project has demonstrated that restoration is feasible. This option is compatible with the restoration of both the lake and Crititically Endangered fynbos, with a botanic garden and with a heritage memorial park and sunset amphitheater.
For more detailed information please read the documents attached as well as the 2 objection letters. We need as many associations and individuals to submit before 23 October 2010.
We look forward to planting trees together this Sunday.
Blessings,
Liesel
Liesel
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