The City's Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health, Councillor Zahid Badroodien and the Consul General of India in Cape Town, Abhishek Shukla, attended the event.

'Commemorative events are being held in memory of Mahatma Gandhi's extraordinary life, around the world and in Cape Town. The City received a generous donation of 150 trees and has started planting them at Arderne Gardens as part of National Arbor Month activities that will be taking place throughout September.

'The City’s Recreation and Parks Department will be planting over a thousand trees across the city this month. It would be impossible to preserve the beauty of the natural environment without collaborating with different stakeholders within the community. It’s quite exciting to have this new garden as something to look forward to, as the trees grow into a spectacular flowering feature, for everyone to enjoy,' said Councillor Badroodien.

'This donation for the establishment of a garden in memory of Mahatma Gandhi is to remember what he stood for. He was an avid activist for environmental protection and cautioned mankind against unrestricted industrialism and materialism. He believed that the earth had sufficient resources for every man’s need, but not every man’s greed,” said Consulate General Shukla.

 

Arderne Gardens in Claremont is a popular destination for wedding photos due to its lush greenery and unique collection of exotic trees. 

There is currently a Japanese section of the garden, and the trees donated by the Indian Consulate will be used to create an Indian section.

The landscape plan and selection of species for the project, have been created by Hank Lith from Friends of the Arderne Gardens.

'Our group is very active in ensuring that Arderne Gardens is maintained to a high standard. We are proud of the diversity of trees found at the park and often raise funds to enhance the beauty of the facility. We have also donated an additional 21 trees,' said Mr Lith.

The project will take up to a month to complete and will be managed by the Recreation and Parks Department.

Among the first trees planted at the ground breaking ceremony today were five Delonix regia and 35 Rhaphiolepsis Indica.

The official opening ceremony is scheduled to take place on 2 October, which is Mahatma Gandhi’s actual birth date. A plaque with information about the establishment of this garden, will also be unveiled at the official ceremony.

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