Marloth Valley Hiking Trail

This is a community based hiking trail in the area known as Makgeng, near Boyne, approximately 9 kms from the village of Haenertsburg. It is still being developed by Rotary members with funding from Preserve Planet Earth projects. This trail has the full involvement of the community and will be operational with signage, route information etc. hopefully by spring 2021. The Marloth name is from taken from the  fact that the Aloe marlothii plants abounding in this area (biggest population known) produce a spectacular show of red and yellow flowers in June/July. The scenery and trail is packed with interesting features.

 

WORLD CLEAN-UP THE ENVIRONMENT DAY: 21 SEPTEMBER 2019

The Haenertsburg Residents and Ratepayers Association (HRRA) led an initiative together with the Friends of the Haenertsburg Grasslands (FroHG) and Rotary Haenertsburg in the World cleanup day on 21st September. It was arranged by Dr Ali Halajian from the Unversity of Limpopo.
Dr Ali together, with students from the university, a big contingent from Mr Eugene Schutte’s waste department at GTM and Friends from Polokwane Nature Reserve under the auspices of Lisa Grosel, assisted in this very important event.

Haenertsburg Grasslands

The grasslands around the village of Haenertsburg are highly endangered and considerable community effort is put towards their preservation. They are a remnant piece of afro-montane grassland in South Africa. Rotary has assisted the Friends of the Haenertsburg Grasslands (FroHG) with signage to keep the area as pristine, undisturbed and unspoilt as possible. In Springtime, the wildflowers are spectacular and since 2014, guided walks have been offered to the public at specific times to see some of the colourful displays of indigenous plants on the grasslands.

Friends of the Haenertsburg Grasslands -FroHG is a group of dedicated,  highly skilled individuals who manage, maintain and fight for the survival of the grasslands on an ongoing and voluntary basis.

To become a member and support this worthwhile cause, please visit their website at: www.frohg.org

Water Harvesting at Haenertsburg Primary School

Rotary purchased a tank and guttering to harvest rainwater at Haenertsburg Primary School. This is in support of the Preserve Planet Earth initiatives that our club champions wherever it can. This was done in December 2017. Thanks to community members who assisted with the installation.

TEACHING YOUNGSTERS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT

As part of our Preserve Planet Earth initiatives, a group of about 40 learners from Glenshiel Primary School in Haenertsburg were treated to a day's outing at Polokwane Game Reserve in May 2016. They were given booklets and coloured pencils to colour in animals in the booklet and record the names of the animals they saw and learnt about. These booklets were prepared and supplied by the Interacters from Stanford Lake College. The group were taught about preserving the animals and natural environment and NOT TO LITTER!! This was presented to them at the Polokwane Game Reserve Intepretative Centre and during a bush walk led by the professional Reserve guides. The learners wrote letters of thanks to Rotary for their wonderful and educational day out. An example of one of these is shown below.

As part of our Preserve Planet Earth initiatives, a group of about 40 learners from Glenshiel Primary School in Haenertsburg were treated to a day's outing at Polokwane Game Reserve in May 2016. They were given booklets and coloured pencils to colour in animals in the booklet and record the names of the animals they saw and learnt about. These booklets were prepared and supplied by the Interacters from Stanford Lake College. The group were taught about preserving the animals and natural environment and NOT TO LITTER!! This was presented to them at the Polokwane Game Reserve Intepretative Centre and during a bush walk led by the professional Reserve guides. The learners wrote letters of thanks to Rotary for their wonderful and educational day out. An example of one of these is shown below.

MIKE GARDNER ARBORETUM

As part of Rotary Haenertsburg's commitment to Preserve Planet Earth projects in the area, the Haenertsburg Village International Arboretum was identified as a worthy project to adopt and nurture. At a small ceremony on Saturday, 13 February 2016 to launch Rotary's involvement with the Arboretum, which was the brainchild of local resident Mike Gardner; a plaque was erected in his honour : "The Mike Gardner Arboretum". The first trees were planted in 1993 in a layout that loosely represented the 5 rings of the Olympic symbol with trees from the five continents. In his address at the ceremony Mike thanked Rotary and current President Maria da Silva, for recognizing the importance of trees and the special area that is a part of the Village to be enjoyed and be of educational value to all residents and visitors alike. The trees have identification tags and special trees have been singled out for more comprehensive information boards.

ARBORETUM MARKET SQUARE
The Mike Gardner Arboretum 'Market Square' in the centre of the Village of Haenertsburg. The Community Centre and Library buildings can be seen within this square. The Long Tom Monument is in the cluster of trees bottom right, and on the left border, the outlines of 2 Labyrinths can be seen. The Plaque has been erected at the corner, top right.

IMG_3706 a
President Maria da Silva

IMG_3735 a
Mike Gardner looking at the Plaque in his honour.

IMG_3719 a
The Opening function on Saturday, 13 February 2016

Rotary Recycling Project

The energy saved from recycling a single tin can save enough energy to run a TV set for 3 hours!

Here are two more facts about recycling:

- If all newspaper was recycled, we could save about 250,000,000 trees each year!
- A modern glass bottle would take 4000 years to decompose — possibly longer if it’s in the landfill.

We all need to recycle and everyone that does so will make a difference. The Rotary Club of Haenertsburg in conjunction with Marius Koekemoer from Tzaneen, are promoting recycling in the area. Marius has agreed to collect all waste on a Monday from the mountain. Foodzone sells coloured plastic bags to be used for these items; you can use any coloured bag. Please do not use the black bags for recycled waste as Tzaneen Municipality will not allow Marius’ vehicles to collect black bags even if they are filled with recyclable items. A coloured bag dropped at either the Clearwaters or Haenertsburg refuse/dump site will go straight to Marius. Waste from farms and small holdings can be taken there any time. Please speak to all your family members and staff so that 80% of your refuse goes into these (black) bags and only 20% of refuse - food, polystyrene etc. will be taken away on Tuesdays by the Tzaneen Municipality. Several householders in Haenertsburg regularly put out their recycling bags, but everyone is encouraged to join this really important programme.

Haenertsburg Rotary challenges all businesses, schools, the police, the Post Office and the Library, as well as Thusanang and Bjatladi to begin recycling. Presently Foodzone and the

Past President Patricia Baragwanath and Piet Shai, worker at the refuse dump at the recycling skip
Past President Patricia Baragwanath and Piet Shai, worker at the refuse dump at the recycling skip

Pot and Plow have joined the recycling project. Please contact Marius Koekemoer on 083 628 6080 if your business is going to start recycling and he can arrange to collect from your premises.

Please note that you will NOT have to have 5 different containers for your waste. It will get sorted in Tzaneen. You require one LARGE refuse bin with a COLOURED bag to throw in

your recyclable waste and a SMALL refuse bin with a BLACK bag to throw in your disposable waste. Almost everything (except foodstuffs) is recyclable. Please rinse all the soiled items (tuna tins/milk bottles) and you will be able to collect large quantities without having to have them smelling in your back yard. If you think it could be reused, then put it in. If it is not suitable, it will be disposed of by Marius. Make this a family project and teach our children how to “SAVE PLANET EARTH FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.”

         WHY RECYCLE?

Recycling is an important part of integrated waste management and has the following benefits:

SAVES RAW MATERIALS - Using recyclables rather than raw material to make new products
  • uses less energy, water and other resources during the manufacturing process
  • saves natural resources as recyclables are used as raw materials

REDUCES POLLUTION - Using recyclables rather than raw material to make new products
  • could result in less air and water pollution during the manufacturing process

SAVES LANDFILL SPACE - Using recyclables as raw materials results in less waste going to landfill, and
  • extends the life of landfills so saving scarce landfill space
  • saves the cost of purchasing and maintaining new landfill sites
  • reduces the cost of transporting waste

REDUCES LITTERING - Collecting potential waste for recycling
  • could reduce littering
  • could minimise the negative impact of litter on the environment and tourism
    could reduce the cost of picking up litter

Glenshiel Kruger National Park Feedback

Glenshiel KNP report-backLearners from the Glenshiel Primary School in Haenertsburg were sponsored by our Club to go on a day trip to Kruger National Park.

They were given a pre-tour talk about the value of preserving the environment and the importance of the animals they would see in the Park.