Green laws will allow townships to blossom at last

Plans by the City of Johannesburg to force people to make provision in their building plans for trees and other greenery to be planted on their property are a step in the right direction.

For years there has been a green divide between affluent suburbs and the predominantly black townships.

Townships have long been characterised by air pollution and dust, and 20 years into our democracy not much has changed.

The City of Johannesburg should be applauded for enforcing such rules and finally putting an end to stereotypical notions of townships.

According to City Parks: "It should not be negotiable for every new house in the city to have a tree.

"The idea is to have each house with an indigenous tree, a fruit tree, and a patch of food garden that can comfortably feed a family of four."

The notion in many townships that trees bring all sorts of social ills, and that they are a haven for criminals, does not hold water.

For this green divide to end the national government too should encourage communities to acknowledge the natural environment as part of their life.

The rising levels of poverty could be reduced if we encouraged families to grow vegetables.

A recent Oxfam report referred to the prevalence of food insecurity and hunger in this country as a "scandal" and called on the government to implement a National Food Act.

Oxfam said such an act would have greater legal force than the existing legislation which embodies a hotchpotch of disparate policies.

We agree with Oxfam economic justice campaign manager Rashmi Mistry that "hunger strips away dignity, perpetuates inequality and destroys people's ability to get out of poverty and prosper."

One in four South Africans are now going hungry and another 25% are at risk of doing so.

Eastern Cape is of particular concern.

The greening of our townships should be a priority - and it should involve planting vegetable gardens.