|
Thousands of trees are being planted in Soweto, with residents of Dobsonville receiving fruit trees for their yards on Arbor Day.
Some of the trees planted to turn Soweto green
SPRING was in the air in Dobsonville, in Soweto, where thousands of trees were donated in support of the City's ambitious plan to green the megatownship.
On Arbor Day, celebrated nationally on 1 September, residents gathered at Dorothy Nyembe Park received 500 of the 11 000 fruit trees donated by former South African Formula One champion Jody Scheckter in support of the City's Greening Soweto project, which aims to turn the township into an urban forest.
Johannesburg City Parks, Food and Trees for Africa and Talk Radio 702, which was broadcasting live from the Saturday event, partnered Scheckter.
Among the dignitaries present were Executive Mayor Amos Masondo; Winnie Madikizela-Mandela; Prema Naidoo, the member of the mayoral committee for environment; Phumla Radebe, the chairperson of Food and Trees for Africa; and Scheckter himself.
Welcoming people to the park, Naidoo said that the aim of the Greening Soweto campaign was to plant more than 200 000 trees in the megatownship before the 2010 Fifa World Cup™. It was the most important tree-planting programme to be unveiled by the City.
Masondo, together with 15 000 learners and soccer personalities, planted 6 000 trees along Soweto's main roads as part of the legacy project on Arbor Day in 2006.
Greening divide
The City had a responsibility to work with the private sector to address greening problems as a matter of urgency, he said, noting that there was a greening divide between the north and south of Joburg.
"So much has been accomplished in such a short period to enhance the quality of life of every resident in Soweto. However, we have much yet to do."
Masondo said that unless the greening divide was addressed, the city would not achieve its goal of turning Johannesburg into a world-class city. "We cannot succeed in building into a world-class, African city for all if we do not address the need for the City to become environmentally sustainable."
Amos Masondo, Executive Mayor lead by example, planting a tree in one of the homes in Dobsonville, Soweto
Greening every soccer field in townships, building more regional parks and establishing more nurseries were some of the steps that were being taken to green the landscape.
Masondo noted that 2 400 trees were planted in Soweto on 1 September 2006; more than 30 000 others were planted between July 2006 to June this year.
The government working alone would not be able to deal with the difficult challenges facing people, he said, calling on residents and the private sector to help the City in its mission to green Johannesburg.
"We have secured a lot of partners who are willing to help us", but a lot still had to be done.
Fruit trees
Speaking about his donation, Scheckter said Soweto had few trees. "If we put two [fruit] trees in every home, that would be a lot of food," he said, calling on other companies or individuals to help green Johannesburg.
Following the formalities, Masondo, Madikizela-Mandela, Naidoo and 702 broadcasters planted trees in the park and in a private garden.
To receive a tree on the day, residents had to register, giving their home addresses and contact details. In a week, officials from Food and Trees for Africa and some community members will visit the homes to check on the trees and teach residents about the importance of trees.
"We are confirming that we will help to green Soweto," Radebe said. Pointing out that trees helped to fight climate change, she vowed to continue supporting the initiative though environmental education.
Johannesburg Zoo
Across town at Johannesburg Zoo in Parkview, an exhibition about the importance of trees will be held on Friday, 7 September. More than 2 500 learners are expected to attend.
Food and Trees for Africa will teach the children about the value of trees and how to plant and care for them. Zoo officials will talk about the importance of trees for animals.
Each school will take home indigenous trees provided by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.
Related stories:
|
