On Thursday 25 February 2016, 10 formerly unemployed Capetonians visited the Two Oceans Aquarium to have a closer look at the Smart Living Challenge Zone, particularly our Water game. These workers are part of a programme run by the City of Cape Town, as part of the government’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), which aims to help spread the message of Cape Town’s water scarcity, and to give consumers more information about level-2 water restrictions, which were implemented in the city on 1 January
According to Senior Professional Officer: Water and Sanitation Johannes Prins: “Although we launched a media release in December to make people more aware that level-2 water restrictions were going to be implemented, I felt it would be proactive to look at a way of informing people so they can understand how their decisions would impact on their lives from 1 January 2016.
“So, as a proactive approach to taking unemployed people through the EPWP, we would recruit people, train them in the water bylaws and the water restrictions, and then engage the major nurseries in Cape Town to place them there for a period of time. This was to help not only the staff but also the customers who want to know how water restrictions will affect their gardens in terms of watering times, indigenous or water-wise plants to plant, to help them understand the restrictions.”
The Two Oceans Aquarium developed the Smart Living Challenge Zone, which aims to educate visitors about the City’s environmental concerns in a fun and interactive way, so a visit from members of this water-saving and employment programme was a natural next step.
“We felt that having only that limited exposure in the nursery environment is not good enough,” says Johannes. “They need to have this broader exposure, and that is why we visited the Aquarium together. To show them what else the City is doing: what we’re putting into education and awareness for the learners and the young ones. Now they have additional knowledge and are better equipped with even more information.
“It’s a thank you from the City’s side for their contribution, and hopefully it’s not going to end here."
Simphiwe Gcanga was unemployed when a friend told him about the City's programme. He completed the training and was placed at Super Plants Family Garden Centre in Bothasig in December 2015.
“It was a beautiful experience, because I didn’t know anything about water saving water and water restrictions,” says Simphiwe. “As time went by I got interested and I was very serious about it! Even in the township when I saw people wasting water I’d say, ‘No! You’re making me mad, because this issue is very serious!’
“I would love to pursue teaching people how to save water. I hope they call us back!”
The workers’ contracts came to an end on 26 February, but Johannes believes there’s lots of scope to take the project further. “We tried to create an environment where, through this partnership with the nurseries, these workers might find permanent employment through the skills they’ve been able to acquire there. We’re continuing this partnership, so from 1 March we’re going back to the nurseries with more people, and we’re going to get smaller nurseries in Cape Town involved and also place new trainees there.”
The nurseries that were involved in the first phase of the programme include Stodels, Stark Ayers and Cape Garden Centre, among others.
