In December 2007 a Thatu supporter, Dylan Schlosberg, visited the SEED offices, met SEED's Operations Manager, Talfryn Harris, and visited two schools. Here is his report:

Visiting the cape flats was a truly humbling and fascinating experience. We were thinking of driving ourselves and we asked Talfryn of SEED whom we were going to visit whether it was safe for us to drive. He replied by email, "The section just after you come off the N2 freeway is a congested shack area, I just travel cautiously as there are pedestrians, children, animals, etc.. Nothing to sweat though". Of course that immediately made me sweat and so we promptly ordered our cab. Just a half hour drive from the wealthy suburbs of Cape Town, our taxi pulled up outside of the SEED office in Philippi.

The drive into the Cape flats was a definite eye opener for someone like myself who thought I knew Cape Town but in actual fact had not even been to its core.

First thing we noticed when we got out was the very strong wind which apparently was light for the flats. The SEED office looked busy even though we were there during the kids' school holidays. There was an intern from New York, Talfryn and two co-ordinators. After about twenty minutes we went to the first school Montagu Drive Primary. Here a female volunteer was working every day in the small garden to help get it ready before the new school year. The challenge was not easy. The soil was dry and the conditions in the Cape flats make it difficult for even the most experienced of horticulturalists. Nevertheless the Swiss chard was looking might fine and I could see how the kids would enjoy getting their hands dirty!

After this we drove to Rocklands, a Thatu supported school on the Sustainable Schools programme. SEED wish to use this school as a case study to show off just how beautiful and productive the gardens can be within a school. The area donated to the gardens was substantial and we soon met the headmaster who gave us a detailed insight into the workings of the school - its joys and troubles. He told us how the gardens act as a beacon of hope within the school, both as a way of keeping the kids occupied but also as an education on self sustained food growing [not to mention the development of care and respect of the land]. Like it's pupils, we too left Rocklands a lot more educated and look forward to returning and seeing its growth in the near future.'