The Tshwane metro kicked off their Arbor Week celebrations by planting spekboom trees in different parts of the city on Friday.
“We want to plant thousands of trees at schools and other public facilities across the city,” said environment and agriculture management MMC Dana Wannenburg.
While September is National Heritage Month, South Africa also celebrates National Arbor Week during the first week of September. The metro also decided to extend the National Arbor Week celebrations to the entire month.
“This year the focus will be on encouraging communities to participate in various greening activities within their neighbourhoods and to promote the planting of spekboom,” he said.
Wannenburg said they had chosen the spekboom because “it is widely known for its ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and growing in the harshest conditions”.
During celebrations on Friday, the metro planted spekboom trees in Refilwe, Bronkhorspruit, Winterveldt and Mabopane. The metro announced that they had also chosen to plant the sweet thorn plant as the other tree species that will be planted throughout the month.
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Wannenburg said the month would also be used to educate residents about trees and their importance.
“The Arbor Month celebrations will also be used to promote a better understanding of trees, particularly indigenous trees,” he said.
Wannenburg said city officials would create awareness around the role trees play in the livelihood of ordinary people and the environment during planting activities.
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