H57 South Africa Trip
Nutley, NJ - Representatives from H57, America's
number one selling South African hoodia
product, spent a week in South Africa meeting with government officials
and touring their hoodia farms. An
H57 spokesperson commented on the trip, "What a fabulous experience.
We met with government officials, our farmers and spent time with
the South African people. This trip reaffirmed our commitment to the
generous people of South Africa"
H57 company representatives landed in South Africa on Monday the 5th
of December. After spending more than 21 hours on an airplane H57 reps
were in awe of the beauty of Cape Town. "The city of Cape Town was absolutely
breathtaking, from Table Top Mountain to the beautiful sandy beaches of
Camps Bay. It was nice to be able to decompress for a day and see everything
that 'the mother city' had to offer."
Day 2 - After waking up and seeing fog tumble over the top of the "twelve
apostles" H57 reps knew it was going to be an interesting day. The
day's itinerary had one goal, meet with South African Government officials
and talk about the sustainability of hoodia in South Africa. The drive
was over 100 kilometers out to the Karoo Botanical Gardens in Worcester.
The largest collection of indigenous succulents in South Africa is housed
in this regional garden curated by the National Botanical Institute.
The garden was originally established near Matjiesfontein in 1921 but
was transferred north of Worcester in 1945 to make it more accessible.
Today it consists of a 10 hectares cultivated area that draws hundreds of
visitors in spring, when brilliantly colored vygies and daisies are in
bloom, and a natural held reserve with low Karoo-type bushes and succulents
covering an area of 144 hectares.
The garden sustains interesting collections of Lithops, Conophytum,
Drosanthemum, Lampranthus, Stapelia, Crassula, Haworthia and Aloe. About
4,000 species of flowering plant grow here, 350 of them rare and endangered.
There is a rich and varied birdlife in the area, and the reserve is used
extensively by the local bird dub and the Wildlife Society of South Africa.
Well-maintained trails link the developed garden with the reserve and
present a spectacular view of the Breede River Valley. Starting from behind
the office, the 1,7 km self-guided Shale Trail is an interesting introduction
to flora, fauna (including busy insect life) and geology.
The cultivated section contains a flora trail for the blind, with plant
labels printed in Braille. As part of the garden's Namaqualand section, and
showing how man formerly integrated with his environment, Bushmen (San) have
built a typical 'skerm' or shelter.
H57 reps were made aware of the concerns of the SA Government and pledged
that H57 would continue in their efforts to help the government sustain this
very important plant.