Man on a mission: Clean ups and a dream to plant one million trees
Beyond fighting climate change, he believes planting trees can tackle food insecurity and poverty.
An inspiring figure with a passion for change took to the streets of the South Coast with a bold message – clean towns are the heart of thriving communities.
With a smile and a plastic bag in hand, Siyanda Dlamini, known as the Peace Walker, led a clean up that saw 50 bags filled with waste collected at Margate’s taxi rank recently. He then took to collecting bags of rubbish in Port Shepstone on Tuesday last week.
His message was clear: “Our towns are our economic centres. If they are clean and looked after, they can attract people to visit and that means more jobs for locals.”
His unique way of speaking about waste, likening dustbins to – ‘hungry mouths that need to be fed with litter’- struck a powerful chord.
“We need to put more dustbins in our towns and feed them. They’re always hungry for waste,” he said with a grin.
But cleaning up towns is just the beginning of his mission. As he continues his long-distance walks across South Africa, with his eyes set on reaching Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, he is already dreaming of his next step – a nationwide tree-planting campaign.
“What started as a goal to plant 1 000 trees in my hometown of Mandeni has now grown. I want to plant one million trees across South Africa – one tree in the yard of every household,” he explained.
Unlike traditional farming projects, he doesn’t plan to own the trees. Instead, he wants to plant them and entrust them to local families to nurture for shade, fruit and a greener future. “This is about legacy. I’m interested in the future because my son will be there.”
Siyanda, born in Mandeni in Durban, launched his Peace Walk for peace and economic stability in early 2022. Since then, he’s covered thousands of kilometres on foot, speaking to people across towns, villages and cities.
“I won’t return to my community to protest after this walk,” he said. “I believe I have found answers to most of the things that confused me while growing up in a township with inadequate support systems and high levels of crime and poverty. After this walk, I must go back and provide solutions that is the only way to move forward. We must fill the gaps.”
The tree-planting project, which he envisions unfolding over five years, is just one of those solutions. “Age is on our side,” he smiled.
Beyond fighting climate change, he believes planting trees can tackle food insecurity and poverty.
“People are cutting down and burning trees every day, but very few are planting them. I want to change that. This project makes me excited, and I’m involving my little boy too.”
With a strong network, community support, and a relentless spirit, this ‘man on a mission’ is proving that one person can ignite a movement – from cleaner streets to greener backyards – all in the name of shaping a better tomorrow.
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