Dear Friends of Golden Sunbeams
After a very short autumn, we here at the Cape feel as though we skipped the winter and went straight into spring. The days are getting longer and warmer again, the sun is shining more and more often – and the first plants are beginning to bloom.
Unfortunately, this unusually dry period also has its downsides. So far this year, there has been significantly less rain than usual. As a result, our dams are far from being as full as we would like. The six largest dams in the Cape region are currently at 77.7 percent (as of September 11, 2026) – compared with 84.8 percent at the same time last year.
We’re still hoping for some rain in September, of course. But the weather forecast is already promising temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius and plenty of sunshine for the coming days. The lack of rainfall is now clearly noticeable: the soil is very dry and hard, and water remains a precious commodity.
That’s precisely why we’re especially pleased with our vegetable gardens in the townships. As we reported in our newsletter in May, we started in April to revitalize the gardens in Nomzamo and Sir Lowry’s Pass with new seedlings after the hot summer.
Now we have started the next phase with renewed energy and great confidence. On August 24th, we received a large delivery of new vegetable seedlings: spinach, kale, savoy cabbage, beetroot, spring onions, leeks, and cabbage.
After the car was loaded to the brim with trays full of young plants, we first went to Kingdom Kids Edu-Care Centre in Sir Lowry’s Pass, which has a particularly large vegetable garden.
Zelna, the principal, was overjoyed with the generous delivery. Over the past few weeks, the entire team had been working diligently, carefully preparing the vegetable garden beds. The soil was loosened and the beds were prepared for the new plants, so the little seedlings have now found their place in the garden.
A few days later, the children were thrilled to help plant the seedlings in the prepared soil. In this way, they learned, almost incidentally, where our vegetables actually come from, how much work goes into growing them, and how important it is to treat plants and food with care.
The unusually warm temperatures and numerous sunny days are already causing nature to awaken everywhere. Our fruit trees are already in full bloom – like this young peach tree that was planted just a few years ago.
Afterwards, we continued on to our EmfundiSweni Pre-School in the township of Nomzamo. The principal, Nomalizo, was delighted by the wide variety of different vegetables.
First, the numerous seedlings were unloaded together. But before they found their place in the large vegetable garden, the children enjoyed another short lesson in botany. Nomalizo explained to the children which types of vegetables they were holding and what would grow from them later. In this way, the vegetable garden becomes not only a valuable source of fresh vegetables, but also a vibrant learning environment for the children.
In contrast, our Loflands Day-Care in the Rusthof township has very little space for a vegetable garden. But June, our principal, loves gardening, and we are constantly amazed at what she manages to grow on this small patch of land.
June can’t do much with the large trays full of seedlings – her garden is simply too small for that.
That’s why we brought her small, mixed trays with different types of vegetables.
June is always very happy when we bring her new seedlings. It’s especially lovely to see how much love and enthusiasm she has for sharing her gardening skills with the children. Even the little ones are allowed to help and watch as vegetables slowly grow from tiny plants, taking responsibility for their little garden.
From September 4th to 6th, the Cape was hit by very strong winds, with gusts reaching up to 140 km/h. We are happy and relieved that our ECD centres escaped major damage.
Only at our Kingdom Kids Edu-Care centre in Sir Lowry’s Pass was part of the shade structure torn off by the wind.
We will replace this as soon as possible so that the delicate seedlings are not exposed to the full force of the sun all day.
In early September, we celebrate “Spring Day” in South Africa, traditionally welcoming the arrival of spring. Of course, the weather in the Western Cape can still be quite wintry at this time of year. However, this year, the days around September 1st treated us to beautiful, almost summery temperatures.
On Friday, September 4th, we were at the Free to Grow ECD centre in Macassar, as the children celebrated the beginning of spring together with their teachers.
For this special day, each child received a small plate of sweets. This is quite unusual, as sugary snacks and sweets are normally not allowed at the Free to Grow ECD centre in Macassar.
But when spring arrives, it’s perfectly acceptable to set aside the rules and good intentions for a day. The children clearly enjoyed their little spring festival – and we also thoroughly enjoyed this special moment.
The next trays of vegetable seedlings will be ready for us soon and can be picked up next week. Our Kingdom Kids ECD Centre and EmfundiSweni Pre-School can then look forward to receiving more vegetables: broccoli, lettuce, and several more trays of beetroot.
We are already looking forward to seeing how the small seedlings will soon become strong plants and delicious vegetables.
While autumn is slowly arriving in Europe, we are experiencing the beginning of spring here at the Cape. It is always fascinating to see nature awaken, and even though this winter was unusually dry with few cool days, we haven’t given up hope that September might still bring us some rain.
We wish you all in Europe a continued beautiful late summer and a good start to autumn.
Here at the Cape, we’re enjoying every little moment of spring – a new green shoot, a freshly planted vegetable patch, and of course, the beaming faces of our children.
Warmest regards from us
Britta and Michi