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Jasper Bailey
An unusually crowned premier Helen Zille plants a fever tree at Matjiesfontein as part of artist Beezy Baileys 50th birthday celebrations
John Yeld
ENVIRONMENT & SCIENCE WRITER
A ROSE among the thorns? An aloe halo? Living art? A cactus caper?
Premier Helen Zille proved she can be a good sport by donning Beezy Bailey’s unusual creation of a crown made of fleshy succulent leaves during a tree-planting ceremony that was part of the acclaimed artist’s 50th birthday celebrations at Matjiesfontein recently.
While the party was clearly fun, Bailey also used the occasion of his half-century milestone to announce his 10 000 Tree Landscape project that will help transform parts of the tree-less Cape Flats. And on Thursday he’ll be joined at Siyazakha Primary School in Philippi by mayor Patricia de Lille and former Water Affairs and Forestry minister Ronnie Kasrils – a personal friend – to plant the first saplings.
“I’ve been painting landscapes for 30 years and to celebrate my 50th year I intend to plant, rather than paint, 10 000 trees in the barren areas of the Cape Flats,” he explained.
“We want to change these areas into leafy suburbs. There’s no reason why only certain Cape Town suburbs should have trees and greenery. The positive impact that the presence of trees can have in our lives cannot be over-estimated. It’s been proved that the presence of green spaces and trees affects the spirit and general wellbeing of people, thus uplifting communities and instilling pride of place.”
Bailey will be helped by friends, donors and Cape Town-based social enterprise Greenpop that has been running urban greening and reforestation projects on the Cape Flats and elsewhere for the past two years.
Greenpop, quoting an old Chinese proverb – “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is now” – has appealed to the public to support Bailey’s venture by buying trees at... well, R100 a pop.
Further information: e-mail info@greenpop.org or 021 461 9265.
john.yeld@inl.co.za
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