ELM plants 300 trees to breathe life into the city
This initiative is part of the national One Million Trees campaign, launched under the theme My tree, my oxygen – plant yours today.
The Emalahleni Local Municipality teamed up with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment (DFFE) to plant 300 indigenous and fruit trees across the municipality.
The official kick-off took place at Blackhill Schoongezicht Primary School in Kwa-Guqa Extension 10, where learners, community members, and teachers gathered to support the initiative and learn more about it.
From cemeteries in Blesboklaagte, Dona, and Thubelihle to residential neighborhoods in Siyangoba, Duvha, and Thubelihle Extension 6, the tree-planting initiative was supported.
Emalahleni Local Municipality’s Municipal Manager, Sizwe Mayisela, emphasised the importance of the initiative. “We all know that as eMalahleni we have an air pollution problem due to power stations around the city. Therefore, we have teamed up to provide a clean environment for our community,” said Sizwe.
This campaign is part of the Presidential Ten Million Trees Programme, currently in its final year, which aims to plant one million trees nationwide on September 24 alone.
Beyond painting eMalahleni green, the programme aligns with global goals, such as Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), addressing critical challenges including climate change, biodiversity loss, food security, and soil erosion.
Christopher Sangweni from the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs shared powerful words on the day, “These plants will help to prevent soil erosion. Now that we have planted trees inside the school yard, they will beautify the school, and they will also help us with climate change.”
Blackhill Schoongezicht Primary School’s head boy, Nkosana Sihlangu, was in attendance and praised the good work done by the officials, specifically for choosing their school. Nkosana further pleaded with his schoolmates to take good care of the trees planted in their school.
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