MANDELA DAY: Planting seeds for the future

Dr Phillipa Irvine never intended to become Makhanda’s unofficial champion of urban renewal, but nearly two decades after arriving as a first-year geography student at Rhodes University, she’s leading grassroots initiatives that are reshaping the city’s landscape.

The East London-born urban geographer has channelled her academic expertise into tangible community projects, most notably the “Verge of Change” initiative, encouraging residents and businesses to adopt and beautify neglected public spaces throughout Ward 8.

“We love a moan, but it’s also good to look at positive things and change the story,” says Irvine, who supervises the project through the Ward 8 Committee alongside Councillor Carolynn Clark. The initiative asks participants to adopt verges, traffic islands, or building facades – transforming eyesores into community assets through planting, painting, and general maintenance.

The project has already attracted significant support. Real estate company Remax recently adopted the crumbling Hill Street bridge, organising community volunteers to repair and repaint the structure. Meanwhile, the Joza Youth and Access Music Project have embraced the verge mentality, implementing similar beautification efforts in township areas.

But Irvine’s civic engagement extends beyond beautification. Working with colleague Zandile Dlongolo, she researched heritage conservation, which led to concrete policy recommendations for the municipality. Both researchers now serve on the municipal aesthetics committee, ensuring their academic findings translate into practical heritage protection measures.

One of their most ambitious projects involves collaborating with Dakawa Arts Centre and the Sarah Baartman District. Township school learners are creating mosaics to be affixed to new concrete benches at the Frontier Hotel bus stop – combining public art with practical street furniture.

Later this term, Irvine’s third-year sustainable development students will map existing trees in the central area and identify gaps for new plantings. The “adopt-a-tree” initiative will allow residents and businesses to sponsor tree planting for R1 500, including fencing and two years of watering.

“You don’t plant a tree for now. You plant a tree for the future,” Irvine explains, noting that Makhanda won Arbour City of the Year in 1997. “The kind of foresight that goes into that is quite amazing.”

The biggest challenge, Irvine admits, is overcoming community apathy. “As South Africans, we like to complain about things, but we don’t actually like to do anything about the things,” she said. Yet recent surveys, including one on street art that attracted 270 respondents in two weeks, suggest untapped enthusiasm exists.

Through her unique blend of academic rigour and community activism, Irvine is proving that sustainable urban change starts with individuals willing to get their hands dirty.

To view some of Irvine’s local Storymap work, you can click on the following links:
Street Art in Makhanda
Exploring Mountain Drive
Digital Heritage Tour of Rhodes University
Makana Botanical Gardens