The bees at Moja Gabedi, a University of Pretoria (UP) community engagement project, are not only keeping the community garden healthy, but have also brought great joy to those learning to be apiarists. As part of an initiative by UP’s unit for Community Engagement, six people are being trained to care for the hives that were discovered on the site.

Moja Gabedi was once an unofficial rubbish dump; in fact, for about 100 years, it stood as an unsightly, empty lot in Festival Street, not far from Hatfield Campus. But last year, UP’s Community Engagement unit transformed what was a dumpsite into a lush garden, with vegetables, trees and flowing canals. The unit also provides therapy to anyone in the community who might need it. In neat wooden huts, students and interns, under the supervision of professionals, offer free occupational, play and art therapy.

Gernia van Niekerk, unit manager of Community Engagement, says that when they first started clearing the site, they discovered bees deep underground in a corner of the plot. When the site was developed further, professional beekeepers were called in to relocate the bees into a hive. “The bees are the oldest occupants at Moja Gabedi, having been there for decades,” says Van Niekerk. “Often people just want to get rid of bees, but they are here for a good reason.”

Previously there had been only one hive, but since June last year, three more have been added. In the meantime, the bees are enjoying the 120 lavender and several sage bushes planted at the site. Van Niekerk then decided that people from the surrounding community should be trained to care for the hives.

Mike Lang of Urban Bees stepped in by offering a beekeeping course. Thanks to sponsors who paid for the training, protective gear and the tools for beekeeping, among other things, the course was offered free to community members. Two students, three community members and two urban farmers attended the first day-long introductory class. They were taught about the workings of the colony and its organisation, how to work with beekeeping equipment, and safety practices. There will be follow-up training on colony management; managing maladies; honey production and processing; and handling beeswax and pollen trapping. This will be followed by practical classes.

“It was fantastic – I just want to learn more,” says community member and budding beekeeper Reckson Tshehla. “It was also the first time that I had seen a queen bee. I never thought I would get the opportunity to learn about bees.”

Tshehla says that he is now so intrigued by bees that he wants to find out exactly how honey and [royal] jelly is made. He also can’t wait to get to the stage where they will be able to remove the first combs. “I felt secure during the class and with the bees.”

He added that Moja Gabedi, changed him as a person in that he “experienced many things for the first time at Moja Gabedi. Everything is so well organised there. It is so interactive. It is really a wonderful place for me”.

Student Daddy Kgonothi says that initially he was not really interested in bees. “But when I learned more, I understood that one should make the garden user-friendly for bees. And if you know how to approach the bees correctly, you’ll come to see that they are fascinating insects. As you work with them, they will get to know you and will not be aggressive; they actually start to recognise the people who work with them.”

Those who complete the training will in future work with the bees at the site. They will also get practical experience with Urban Bees by going out on calls to relocate bees.

“We should nurture and live in peace with bees,” says Van Niekerk. “People are scared of bees, and they should not be. Bees are not pests.”