Grabouw
The Grabouw/Elgin district produces about 60% of South Africa's total
apple export crop. The valley is also renowned for cultivating fresh
chrysanthemums, roses and proteas.
The Grabouw
Sustainable Development Initiative:
The
first of its kind in approach, methods, magnitude and concept!
The
Roadmap for development in South Africa was set by President Mbeki that all
developments in South Africa must be integrated and be sustainable. In line with this, Minister Trevor Manuel challenged the Development Bank of
South Africa (DBSA) to demonstrate a sustainable community in South Africa.
The challenge was taken up by DBSA, not only to
ensure that there will be communities that are sustainable, but also to produce
a conceptual framework in which such developments can be produced.
The DBSA developed a framework and embarked upon 6
Pilots projects, that are Grabouw, Ba-Phalaborwas, Motherwell, Diepsloot,
Lydenberg and Ngangelizwe. The Sustainable Development Framework (SDF)
for Elgin-Grabouw is part of the Grabouw Sustainable Development Initiative
(SDI) conceptualized in 2006 and commissioned jointly by the Theewaterskloof
Municipality (TWK) and the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA). It is important to note that the name SDI was
adopted as the overarching project description as sustainability is a
step-by-step process and cannot be achieved in a quick fix manner or as an end
goal, but can only initiate the steps to put the study area on a sustainable
pathway.
It must further be understood that the following
terms were used and the definitions of each are as follows:
Sustainable – “capable of being upheld
or defended: maintainable;
Sustainability is a “direction not a
fixed goal.
The principles identified in the process that
underpin Sustainability
included the following:
- Sustainable balance (To achieve a balance
between the ecological and development role of an area over time.)
- Access (To ensure access to the opportunities and
resources of a place for a range of people and activities e.g. access to
land as a resource.)
- Integration (Between people of
different backgrounds, incomes, culture and experiences of their
environment.)
- Social Justice (Viewing resources in
the interest of social/community, not in the interest of individuals and
restoring human where this has been lost.)
As
is typical of sustainable initiatives, for reasons explained in the framework
report, targets were not set in an absolute manner. Rather these are broadly identified and seen
to be initiating the area onto a sustainable pathway.
But
placing the document on the web-page, it is envisage that more people will
buy-in to this approach and reap the benefits of a community that worked
together to achieve a document and future pathway to sustainable development.
