I HAVE been a resident of Paarl for most of my 31 years, something I have taken great pride in, wherever in the world I found myself.
I was mindful enough to be able to distinguish the seasons our town has undergone for the last 20 years or so, from the segregation of the apartheid government; the visible division between Paarl East, the Town Centre, and Northern Paarl.
This letter is some five years overdue, and it may even seem fickle or irrelevant; what with poverty spreading like a blaze, pollution, devastation of Tik, and all the other woes so many people have to face daily.
But, as a young lad, my granddad taught me, that in life, plant trees, as trees give life.
Daily I drive through Paarl’s Jan van Riebeeck Drive and back past the new road that passes Huguenot station. I drive up toward Elriche Estates, on my way home, and often find myself in Klein Drakenstein, as many of my family and friends live there.
I also regularly find myself in the town centre, Western, and Northern Paarl, and the beautiful lanes of trees budding new leaves this spring; and what a stark contrast it is driving in Paarl East.
This letter is not about lamenting how the residents of the historically white areas in our town seem to still enjoy greater benefits, as can be seen in the upkeep of the public spaces, pruning and maintenance of trees that line streets, and so on.
Instead, I question why, after so many years, so little has been done to unearth the potential beauty of Paarl. There appears to be an invisible border, where the beautiful town starts, and ends.
I too want lanes of trees along Jan van Riebeeck Drive, how beautiful that would look, all the way to Wellington, to hide the grubby industrial sector that was allowed to flourish so close to our residential spaces, and enhance the wall around Dal Josaphat Stadium.
Imagine a tree-lined Klein Drakenstein Drive, of trees in full bloom, what a pleasure it would be for pedestrians walking home from work or shopping.
All these roads are the entrance to our town for many foreign tourists, what a welcome a tree-lined entrance would make.
Allistaire October
