World food day: Minister Creecy visits town

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GRAAFF-REINET NEWS & VIDEO - This was the focus at Narsing Street Primary School in Graaff-Reinet on 16 October, where World Food Day was celebrated with a visit from Minister of Environmental Affairs, Barbara Creecy.

Creecy addressed 110 learners from across the district, who have been selected from 10 schools to be environmental ambassadors.

These learners are tasked with promoting cleanliness, encouraging recycling and nurturing vegetable gardens to be planted at their schools.

The minister was joined by Mayor Deon de Vos, Gift of the Givers hydrologist and geologist Dr Gideon Groenewald, various councillors of the Dr Beyers Naudé Local Municipality, school principals and teachers as well as SANPark rangers.

The day marked an important occasion for the drought-stricken town as Creecy, De Vos and Groenewald launched a vegetable garden at the school. Water was also discharged from a borehole being drilled at the school.

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Each environmental ambassador received a certificate and gift bag from Gift of the Givers.

"Children should learn the importance of sustainable living by growing their own vegetables and learning how to find water," Groenewald said.

De Vos said the vegetable garden will not only feed the learners but also enrich the lives of those working in the garden. He said the borehole will help the municipality to reach more areas in the town struggling with water supply.

The day was commemorated with the planting of 50 indigenous, evergreen karee trees. Akhenaten Tshaka from the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, said it does not need much water, making the trees perfect for water-stressed areas.

Narsing Street head boy Milriano Elias said it is everybody's responsibility to take care of the ecosystem. "Just by planting a tree we can make the world a better place," he said.