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ESTATE NEWS

example, the grass carp invade into the
Pienaars River system!
As usual, feeding of the game in the Game
Reserve continues right through winter.
This will continue until such time as there
is enough new veld in early summer. Even
then, if there is a drought or too little rain,
we keep on feeding the game.
An exciting project that has been initiated
is that we will be appointing a team of
architects, urban designers, etc, to re-look
at the overall design of the estate. Our
estate has reached a mature stage where
most of the stands are built up and this
tends to overshadow the ambience of
the estate. Originally, we could definitely
see the ‘colonial’ look and feel with the

Fun design elements in the garden
Some structures can give definition We are also looking at other means to
to entrances and fun elements draw prevent the hornwort from growing as
attention to themselves rather than to vigorously. The hornwort is in fact, for the
winter-stressed plants. Winter garden time being until sewage spillages are under
work is not only to prepare for spring or control, a good thing as the plants clean
summer blooms but also to initiate some our water system of the noxious elements
structural changes or add a feature or two from these spillages. Some ideas are water
like the ones in the photos. Enjoy!! reticulation systems – putting oxygen into
the water along with grass carp. Not only
Around the rest of the estate we are still do effective systems seem VERY expensive
busy with the normal cleaning of flower but are also not the ultimate solution; we
beds and clearing large patches of weeds need to get Tshwane to take control of
after the rainy season and lockdown! their pump stations and sewage systems
We are also cleaning the streets, cutting – to keep sewage from flowing down our white buildings and palm trees. We are
unwanted and dead wood out of trees, etc. streets and along natural waterways! really looking forward to the project as
All those areas which get swallowed up by our estate needs a face-lift to re-invent
the abundant growth of plants in summer! Sterile grass carp might not be such a its aesthetic. The renovation will add that
good idea since when under stress or in extra ‘vavavoom’ to an already amazing
One more thing always on my mind, open water, such as river systems, they place to live!
because there is not much knowledge out may become active and start breeding
in the field, is the hornwort in our dams again. In our river systems, they multiply Even though we are already halfway
which grows because of the continuous profusely since they are an exotic species. through winter and June is supposedly
sewage spillages from other estates that They are from Asia and therefore do not the coldest month according to statistics
overflow into our river systems; and the have the same natural enemies that our (as revealed at present by a heater
carelessness of the City of Tshwane about indigenous fish species have. They are blowing very un-effectively at my feet in
the general environment which is their therefore not kept under control and their sheepskin slippers)… we sometimes
responsibility. We have appointed a very multiply, taking over the waters they live experience very low temperatures up until
well-known environmental lawyer who is in, in our country – thus, like the hornwort September. This is good for getting rid of
taking these estates and the City to task weed (also from abroad), they become diseases and pests in our gardens; but all
– we hope we can get some control over a problem in the ecosystem. We have to of you, please take care of your gardens
these spillages so that we can have clean be very careful when introducing a new and yourselves, stay safe and be healthy!
dams again! element to our biome because we can
cause a much bigger problem; when, for Have fun!!
In the meantime, we are cleaning the
dams in such a way that the hornwort is
not visible above the water surface so that
it looks pleasing and clean. Luckily after
lockdown it is winter, since the hornwort
grew back vigorously after our previous
efforts to curtail the growth. In winter, it
is dormant and is not active in cold water.
We are looking into using grass carp for
clearing the hornwort but, as previously
explained, it may not be a good idea to Corlia Mathews
fix one wrong measure with another. Environmental Director

14 INTRA MUROS JULY 2020

IN
INTRAMUROS.indd 1 2020/06/18 14:06:34