Officials and community members gathered along the main streets of Mbombela today, September 11, to kick off the City of Mbombela’s Arbor Month awareness campaign.

The initiative aimed to highlight the critical role urban greening plays in environmental sustainability, shade provision, and enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the local municipality.

The city partnered with officials from Manganese Metal Company, Inkomati-Usuthu Catchment Management Agency, Sappi and the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs, and engaged with motorists and pedestrians, distributing information on native tree planting, indigenous vegetation preservation, and neighbourhood conservation. Three hundred spekboom trees were distributed.

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The municipality’s environmental officer Nompumelelo Msomi said planting trees in urban centres is essential for combating heat islands, maintaining local biodiversity, and protecting topsoil during summer rains.

She encouraged residents to support national Arbor Month throughout September by planting indigenous trees in their gardens, residential complexes, and school grounds.