- Sivumo Zibaya, a park ranger employed by Friends of Rondebosch Common (FRC), is dedicated to removing invasive alien plants, preventing them from disrupting the ecosystem.
- His vigilant efforts, supported by community donations and a partnership with Nature Connect, ensure the Common remains preserved.
- Zibaya’s passion for conservation is rooted in his commitment to both the environment and providing for his family.
Alien plants on Rondebosch Common don’t stand a chance with Sivumo Zibaya (38) from Kraaifontein on the watch.
Zibaya is formally employed by the Friends of Rondebosch Common (FRC) as a Park Ranger. He has been manning the park since March last year. His current contract, which was renewed in March, will come to an end in December.
says Tim Jobson, chair of FRC.
Zibaya’s involvement with the Common began with ad-hoc work sessions, supervised and paid by FRC, several years ago.
Through City Parks, he joined the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), where he worked under a series of short-term contracts for two years. During this time, the FRC supplemented his salary with additional funds to ensure his work on the Common could continue. After the EPWP programme ended, FRC was determined to retain his valuable skills, so they continued employing him for three days a week with support from their own funds and “Sivumo Day” donations from a few dedicated members.
“However, the FRC didn’t have the capacity to manage his employment directly. To solve this, we partnered with Nature Connect, who took over the administrative responsibilities (such as UIF, COIDA, and payroll) through a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) in March (last year). This allowed (Zibaya) to continue his work on the Common, now proudly wearing Nature Connect kit. When Nature Connect holds training days, (Zibaya) is invited to participate and further his skills,” Jobson says.
Through the years, Zibaya has acquired valuable knowledge, skills, and experience. He can now confidently identify and distinguish between the indigenous species and unwanted alien weeds.
Initiative
Recently, he showed great initiative by engaging with a team of EPWP workers employed as street cleaners in the Rosebank area, and persuading them, despite their fear of snakes, to assist in clearing a large amount of litter from the bushes near Red Cross corner.
Zibaya has attended a training day with Nature Connect to learn about the basic composition of fynbos, plants, and flowers. He has also attended First Aid training and Snake handling course.
In May, he rescued a mole snake trapped in a discarded hairnet.
Zibaya grew up in Butterworth, Eastern Cape. He was raised by his grandmother. He came to Cape Town with his parents in Grade 5, first living in Nyanga and then Old Crossroads.
After his parents passed away, he inherited his late mother’s house in Kraaifontein, but he had to buy it again as it wasn’t registered correctly.
Zibaya shares.
Jobson emphasizes that without Zibaya’s ongoing support, their weeding efforts on the Common would be worthless. “This work is totally dependent on donations and I appeal to all residents who enjoy our Common to assist us. We also want to thank Tuffy Bags for generously donating the bags used for collecting the weeds for removal by City Parks.“
- For more visit www.rondeboschcommon.org.za or email friendsofrondeboschcommon@gmail.com
