Fencing De Hoop with Spekboom - Portulacaria Afra

The De Hoop rural settlement is situated approximately 16km west of the town of Oudtshoorn. The main feature of the rural settlement is the majestic church that occupies a prominent and focal position in the centre of the township. The aim of this project is to ensure the long-term survival of the beautiful old church building as a source of hope in the heart of a life-giving community for the poor - those without shelter and hope.

In particular, we hope to provide a refuge for informal settlers on the railway line and farmworkers who have to leave farms for a variety of reasons, seeking a safe haven for their old age. 

It is a priority to demarcate the entire re-development area at De Hoop. Besides the erection of a wired fence, we plan to plant the whole 1.90 km fence line with Spekboom – Portulacaria Afra. Not only does the Spekboom add beauty to an impersonal fence but also contributes to the De Hoop ecosphere as food source for the small game like Steenbok and Duiker in the area.

The Spekboom is an indigenous and drought-resistant succulent of the semi-arid Little Karoo and Eastern Cape in South Africa. It has a reddish stem with little fat green leaves that never seize to amaze as they appear to be growing from rocks in a blazing sun. It’s a luscious and grateful plant that thrives in poor soil, drought and frost. At the end of winter, they are decked out with splashes of beautiful and nectar-rich pink blossoms.

Although all plants extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to photosynthesize and grow, a Spekboom can change its photosynthesis pathway according to temperature and rainfall. During favourable weather conditions, they act like other plants but when it gets really dry and sweltering hot like the little Karoo can be in summer, they change to a different type of photosynthesis called CAM (Crassulacean Acid Metabolism).

It’s then that the Spekboom closes the pores (or stoma) in its leaves and branches during the hottest part of the day to prevent transpiration but still photosynthesise.

In layman’s terms this means that acid (stored as carbon dioxide) builds up in the leaves during the night to get broken down during the day, using very little water. This process makes the Spekboom a remarkable gift of nature in absorbing ample amounts of carbon dioxide.

During the day, the juicy leaves taste rather acidic but less so towards the evening and both

livestock and wild animals enjoy the Spekboom leaves, rich in cobalt, manganese and especially magnesium. Its micro elements are full of selenium, iodine and vitamin C.People like the taste too, and you can find Spekboom leaves in cake, smoothie, chutney, pesto and soup recipes etc. as well as garnishing on an exquisite plate of food

At De Hoop, another important activity of the Spekboom project is to offer a solution for local children begging cash from visitors. The children will be taught how to propagate and plant Spekboom in self-decorated containers, that can be exhibited on a stand at the office. Visitors will be encouraged to rather purchase the little ones’ Spekboom plants instead of giving handouts.

The Spekboom project will involve the following:

·     Erect a galvanised wired fence around the whole De Hoop re-development area

·     In putting up this fence, job opportunities are created for the local people at De Hoop

·     Build a nursery to propagate 5000+ Spekboom plants especially but other indigenous plants of the area as well

·     To plant Spekboom plants on the fence line and maintain a nurturing ecosphere around De Hoop

·     Teaching little children how to grow Spekboom plants, take care of it and sell it

·     Spin-offs from the Spekboom project can inspire our community to use these beautiful low-maintenance plants in landscaping around their homes and public

spaces, as well as create opportunities for selling produce like Spekboom bottled pickles, salsa and jams etc.