Environmental conservationist Helen Duigan is recruiting activists for her green army to champion nature

For over 30 years, Helen Duigan and her husband Anthony have dedicated themselves to protecting the natural resources in the Greenbelt area southwest of Pretoria. At 81, she is now passionate about connecting and supporting other environmental activists around the country through their organisation Armour (Action For Responsible Management of Our Rivers).

It all started when they moved out to the countryside in 1977, looking for a place where they could raise their family, away from the city. A place where the air was clean and the kids could roam free. They found some land in the rolling hills of Gauteng, outside Pretoria, between the Jukskei, Hennops and Crocodile Rivers, an area rich in natural beauty and resources.

The Duigans found themselves having to oppose various applications to develop the surrounding areas, firstly from a government that planned to build a vast low-cost housing development in 1986 and then from private industries that wanted to mine, develop and monetise the land.

For the last 35 years, Helen and Anthony have found themselves working alongside many other activists to create the Rhenosterspruit Nature Conservancy, as a viable platform to protect the space. 

Through various battles, they and many environmental activists from across South Africa established the National Association of Conservancy and Stewardship that brought together a large number of people from all provinces who were trying to protect endangered areas of land.

“Linkages were being made on an important level, bringing together the ‘lone rangers’ to create an army!.. This is a life task. A sacred task. Fighting for something that simply has to be done”

Eventually, landowners led by the late Mercia Komen, a fellow activist, managed to get the Rhenosterspruit Conservancy officially proclaimed as the Crocodile River Reserve in 2019, a process through which a valuable network of connections was made.  

It is this passion for the connection of like-hearted people that Helen has continued to pursue. She now runs the Armour Facebook page. It is a community of concerned citizens that focuses on natural resources and how we protect them. The purpose is to connect and support environmental activists from all around the country. 

But Helen had been building this community without the help of social media for 36 years. In 2002 she started a newspaper called the Karee Chronicle. It was her way of being able to communicate with people living in the surrounding areas about the environmental threats and opportunities that they faced. Every two months she would produce an in-depth publication, print 2,500 copies and personally distribute it to her subscribers. This was followed by an e-zine, VeldTalk, which reached even larger numbers of people.

For Helen and Anthony Duigan, protecting the natural world is what they do, it’s what they will always do. These days social media just makes it a little easier for them to assemble their army. DM

It’s Women’s Month in South Africa and so, throughout August, The Actionists will exclusively be featuring stories of inspiring women who are working to make a positive change in the world around them.

The Actionists was launched in early 2023 by photographer Thom Pierce. It consists of on-the-ground problem solvers, community activists, climate campaigners and human rights defenders who engage in direct action. They are people anyone can turn to in difficult circumstances: a growing community of people who care about the future of South Africa. Through a series of photographic stories, Pierce profiles these people. Through a website, discussion forum and social media, the aim is to provide ways for people to get involved.

Nominate Actionists in your circle at www.theactionists.co.za or email [email protected]

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R29.