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Durban Botanic Gardens Trust

The Durban Botanic Gardens Trust is an independent and discretionary Trust, established in 1993 to support is Durban Botanic Gardens with various maintenance and development projects including projects with a focus on the following core areas, namely education, biodiversity, heritage, horticulture, research and people, plants and culture.

The Trust, through its various fundraising initiatives, sponsorships and donations from both public and corporate benefactors, is able to invest in the future of the Durban Botanic Gardens to ensure that the Gardens remains a garden of excellence and a garden for all.

The Trust is committed to ensuring that the Durban Botanic Gardens continues to be a place of excellence, ensuring its relevance and presence within the horticultural world at both international and regional level. The Gardens special presence within the City is also critically important to ensuring a balance within the urban environment. Whilst it is a major tourist attraction, it is also a place of peace and tranquillity for all the citizens of Durban. As an independent body from the City council, the Trust ensures that the qualitative elements of the development and maintenance of the Gardens can be supplemented, thereby ensuring that the Gardens continues to be recognised as an educational, scientific and culturally relevant institution.

The key objectives of the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust

  • To foster relations between the Durban Botanic Gardens and the public of Durban and its environs, and to support the Gardens in its services to the community.
  • To promote an understanding of the functions, aims, resources, services and needs of the Gardens.
  • To attract to the Gardens expertise and resources as may be available in the community.
  • To demonstrate our mutually sustaining relationship with plants, and to show how these relationships are expressed in science, art and culture and how these expressions can serve the needs of human well-being, social justice and public interest.
  • To promote the achievement and growth of the Durban Botanic Gardens in its provision of botanical and horticultural material, research and expertise for the protection of the natural environment and for conservation of the flora and fauna of KwaZulu-Natal.
  • To seek contributions and sponsorships for the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust fund, whether in money or in kind, and to administer such funds for the benefit of the Durban Botanic Gardens.

Governance

The Durban Botanic Gardens Trust is an independent discretionary Trust and registered with the Master of the Supreme Court Regd. Number IT9208/93. The Trust is also registered as Public Benefit Organization NPO 930020769 under Section 30 of the Income Tax act and all bona fide donations are tax deductible with a Section 18A tax receipt.

Durban Botanic Gardens Trustees

  • Mr. Aarif Saib
  • Mr. Barry Lang
  • Mr. Christopher O’Flaherty
  • Prof. Donal McCracken
  • Mr. Greig Eigenmann [Treasurer]
  • Ms. Hilary Dudley
  • Prof. Himansu (Snowy) Baijnath
  • Mr. Ivor Daniel [Chairman]
  • Mrs. Lizl Coppejans [Secretary]
  • Mrs. Lorraine Shandu
  • Mr. Nkosinathi Khanyile
  • Dr. Sershen Naidoo

Durban Botanic Gardens Trust Team

  • Kerry Phillips – Trust Manager | Marketing & Fundraising
  • Koren Gnirck – Finance & Administration Manager
  • Mhlengi Sibiya – Information Officer
  • Philly Nyembe – Function Co-ordinator