General News

Media release (Department of Water Affairs and Forestry-DWAF)                                                                                      28 August 2008

The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) in the Western Cape will this week (1st – 7th Sept) distribute 15 058 trees to communities through partners in the provincial and local government as well as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Community Based Organisations (CBOs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in celebrating National Arbor Week.  Some 8 600 fruit trees will also be handed out to previously disadvantaged communities.

Trees distributed throughout the Western Cape will add to the Plant a Million Trees campaign launched by President Thabo Mbeki and the Minister of DWAF Ms L Hendricks at Garankuwa in Pretoria last year. The Department planted a national total of 681 749 trees since the launch, and will exceed the target of a Million trees during Arbor Week 2008.

Minister Lindiwe Hendricks will lead this initiative by planting trees at a newly established park in the Lamontville Township in Durban to mark the launch of Arbor Week 2008 on 1st September.  Under the theme Plant trees – save our planet, the launch of Arbor Week will set the stage for similar events around the country. 

“The emphasis for this year’s celebration in our province is on sustainability and spreading the message of hope.  Not only will we be providing food by planting fruit trees, we will also be encouraging sustainability of greening projects already underway in communities and addressing some of the social ills in these communities” emphasised Mr Khan, the Chief Director of DWAF in the Western Cape. 

Grabouw will be celebrating its Greening and Sustainable Food Gardening project aimed at creating an even greener landscape in the surroundings of Grabouw, which in turn will create a sense of ownership and add to social cohesion among the beneficiaries (local communities).

“We are pleased that our partners have heeded the call to join in activities of the National Arbor Week and will be planting trees at communities and schools as well as linking celebrations with fundamental challenges in communities”, he continued.

“The campaign is significant this year in that some of our partners have opted to utilise Arbor Week events to involve the youth in greening programmes, the Langa community will be greening an open space at Ndlwana Way opposite Joe Slovo informal settlement, known for harboring unsavory elements, to convert it into a play park.  The communities of Lawaaikamp, Cornville, Borchards and Parkdene will be addressing drug challenges amongst the youth” added Susan Steyn, Manager of Forestry in the WC.

The campaign also includes the greening of South Africa which is aimed at changing the country’s vegetation landscape.  Other activities include visits by Cape Nature in ‘Oudtshoorn to plant trees at local rural and farm Schools in and around Oudtshoorn from Ladismith in the Western Section to Uniondale in the Eastern Section including Prince Albert in the Northern Section, The City of Cape Town planting in Mitchell’s Plain and schools in the metro. 

The Arbor Week campaign is aimed at achieving the following objectives:

This year’s Trees of the Year are the Wild Plum, Harpephyllum caffrum, the Bladder-nut, Diospyros whyteana and the Bell Bean Tree, Markhamia zanzibarica.