The rocky quartzite ridge of Rietfontein

WHEN you stand on Rietfontein ridge what will strike you is the number of grey loeries contentedly flying about your head. It's obviously a place they like, and it's sure to be a place you will enjoy spending time in too.

The Rietfontein Nature Reserve, some 24 kilometres north of the city in the small suburb of Paulshof, is a 25-hectare indigenous green space in the middle of the far northern suburbs of Johannesburg, a quiet (except for the loeries) space that will make you feel you're in the country.

It's largely used as an educational centre to teach school children of all ages about conservation of ecosystems, involving a 2.5 kilometre hike and hands-on activities. But it's also a great place just to hang out on the weekend, and perhaps bump into a small animal while hiking along its trails. You can take your picnic basket and blanket and find a quiet spot on the lawns, or walk up to the top of the ridge, and spy Johannesburg's landmarks from these natural surroundings.

The Reserve is stocked with small game - blesbok, mountain reebok, duiker, klipspringer and steenbok, as well as the small creatures: mongoose, tortoise and genet.

A view from Lonehill Koppie of Rietfontein Nature Reserve

Unlike the nearby Lonehill Koppie, which has remnants of three Iron Age furnaces at its base, Rietfontein has no historical features. But it has other delights to offer the city dweller.

The Reserve belongs to Johannesburg City Parks, who maintain the small area of lawns and keep the exotic or alien plants at bay. It was bought by the Sandton Town Council 20 years ago in order to conserve the site's biodiversity. It's planted mostly with indigenous shrubs and trees, and is considered to have an unusual sampling of plant life because, unlike the surrounding granite koppies, Rietfontein is composed mainly of quartzite rocks.

Groups will learn interesting things from education officer Israel Motswana. He'll tell you about "baboon's tail", a grass that, if bundled and rubbed in fat and dried, can be lit and used as a torch. Or about the "blue guarri tree" branches of which can be stripped and used as a toothbrush. Or the "common poison bush", the roots of which were boiled to produce a poison that was used on arrow tips to bring down an animal.

Motswana also gives the children a sense of the food chain, and a feel for ecosystems and their importance, in his gentle but informative and enthusiastic manner.

There is a large house in the centre of the Reserve, built by the Igoli Mining Group in the 1980s. It was used previously as offices for City Parks when they took it over in the early 1990s, and after renovation, will in future be used as offices for the Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs.

Future plans for the Reserve centre around making it more financially viable. Six safari tents are to be erected, for use by tourists, corporates and local residents, with large tents available for meetings or workshops. A tea garden will be built at the entrance to the Reserve. And lastly, the educational courses are to be revamped, a further six education officers are to be employed, taking the total to 12.

A sable antelope in the grounds of Rietfontein

Another house in the Reserve is used by FreeMe, a wildlife rehabilitation centre. It takes in up to 6 000 birds, mammals and reptiles each year, ranging from eland, antelope and vultures to snakes and terrapins.

The animals are brought in by members of the public, the fire department, and local vets. The centre nurses them back to health and releases them back into the wild. It is a volunteer organisation, with three full-time employees and 20 volunteers offering their time and energy.

FreeMe works with Gauteng's Department of Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs, the NSPCA, local SPCAs and provincial vets. It answers calls from around the province, and is entirely reliant on donors.

Six local vets offer their specialised services free of charge, operating on injured animals in their surgeries.

Described by centre manager Nicci Wright as "an absolute jewel", it runs purely on the passion of its volunteers, she says. On top of its wish list is a vehicle, preferably a bakkie, to collect animals from around Gauteng. Other items include animal cages, kitchen and office items, pets food, and cleaning items. A complete list is on their web site.

Environmental educational tours take 3-4 hours, and are conducted mornings and afternoons. Groups of not more than 30 people are catered for, and the cost is R10 per child, or R20 per adult. Daily numbers are limited in an effort to preserve the sensitive ecosystem. The Reserve is at 138 Holkam Road, Paulshof, off Witkoppen Road. Phone Paula on 011 712 6731 for bookings.