Students and staff members did their bit for Mandela Day by participating in a clean-up of the former Horticulture Nursery on the Cape Town campus.
“The intention is to pay tribute to the rich heritage of District Six by developing an urban food garden, recreational structures and cultural spaces for the benefit of the community, students and staff”, says Jacqui Scheepers, manager: Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (SLCE) Units at CPUT
The participants included lecturer Nicholas Pinfold from the Department of Town and Regional Planning as well as students from the Department, Ashaadia Kamalie, Head of Department: Civil Engineering and Surveying and Desmond Jackson, Theresa Burns, Ziyanda Tobani and Jacqui Scheepers from the SLCE Units.
During the clean-up the students assessed the site for future planning. They were able to capture the existing features on the site using geospatial technology (drone and GPS mapping).
“The department is very excited to be part of this very important project for CPUT and the former and current residents of District Six” says Pinfold.
The setting up of a security system at the site will be the next step before the Service-Learning and Civic Engagement projects can be further developed on the site.
Under the leadership of Prof Anthony Staak, Deputy Vice-Chancellor:Teaching and Learning, the SLCE Units are in the process of collaborating with external stakeholders, university departments and units to develop project plans and funding proposals for the implementation of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement activities on the site.
The Mandela Day campaign encourages South Africans to spend 67 minutes to support a charity or serve in their local community.
