100 hectares of blissful nature in the city.

Waterfall City boasts over 100 hectares of greenbelts, consisting of 21 individual greenbelts, each with its own microclimate, habitat, ecosystem and wildlife. A common misperception is that a greenbelt is just a section
of land that consists of grasses. But there is so much more to consider.

In Waterfall City, the Jukskei River splits the estates into a V-shape. Several weeds from upstream get dispersed on the riverbanks. They germinate in the perfect warm and moist conditions, and then the seeds get transported throughout the greenbelts via birds, insects and wind.

Kenneth Gaynor, CEO of Waterfall Country and Village Estates, along with the board of these estates,
have embarked on a Greenbelt Rehabilitation project. Their aim is to eradicate all weeds and to inter-seed the grassy areas with an Egoli granite mix of grasses – examples of which are shown in this article. It is an exciting project, considering that the size of the area we are working on is equivalent to two golf courses!

To rejuvenate a greenbelt, you need to know the following:

Bioregion
What type of greenbelt do you have? In the Western Cape they have Fynbos, while the Northern Cape is a Southern Namib Desert Bioregion. In Gauteng our greenbelts are identified as a Mesic Highveld Grassland Bioregion, and in Waterfall City we are recognised as a rare Egoli Granite Grassland.

To ensure that biodiversity is sustained throughout this Greenbelt Rehabilitation Project, it is critical to have experts in their respective fields assist and monitor progress. To this end, we work with Ivan van der Walt, co-author of A Practical Grass Selection Guide in South Africa.

Safety first
Due to this workplace being different to an office environment, several safety training sessions and tests are conducted before any staff member is allowed into the greenbelts. The team is even given training on different spider species.

In-field training
Training in areas like greenbelts is ongoing, as nature’s variables can always change depending on seasonal weather, bird and insect activity, as well as weed pressure from the river and surrounding areas. The Greenbelt Rehabilitation Project team has received training on the following:

• Weed identification and removal –Weeds are stockpiled and removed after each season.
• Erosion control – Each staff member is dedicated to a specific greenbelt and is responsible for repairing erosion damage on their greenbelt after downpours. The soil is replaced and diversions using straw bales, swales and interplanting are maintained. This includes overseeing the Mountain Bike Track.
• Not disturbing habitats – Staff are taught to tread lightly in this environment.
• Inter-seeding – After weeds are removed, new Egoli granite mix grasses are inter-seeded in the space left behind.
• Invasive tree removal – safely removing any invasive trees.
• Controlled burning – Controlled burning is a highly effective way to control thatch, destroy some invasive weeds and rejuvenate a greenbelt. It is executed in winter every three years according to a plan designed to spread the burns across the various estates to ensure that the wildlife always has a greenbelt nearby for shelter.
• Interplanting – There is a big drive to do monthly interplanting of trees and seeding with new varieties.
• Biennial mow – Each greenbelt is mowed every second year. It is an effective way to break seeding cycles and is beneficial to wild grasses. When mowing occurs, a dedicated staff member assists the operator in checking for any wildlife. We must emphasise the importance of graze mowing: this method makes up 50% of biennial mowing. It assists in inaccessible areas and stimulates livestock grazing.

During the first eight months of this Greenbelt Rehabilitation Project, the main objective is to gain control over the excessive weeds, spray Kikuyu areas and plant trees. This enables us to get our desired wild grasses ready to harvest in October, when the rainy season starts.

Due to the V-shaped land, severe rains result in many erosion areas. We did fantastic work last season in addressing this problem and will move forward with the same momentum. Erosion can be detrimental to the environment, and having a team fully dedicated to this will assist in the sustainability of the greenbelts and the Jukskei flood line. Our approach is to use effective structures such as gabion baskets at the base of the eroded areas, and to cover the areas with vegetation naturally occurring in our greenbelts.
These pristine greenbelts in the middle of this smart city are yet another feather in award-winning Waterfall City’s cap.