Making the world greener one tree at a time
HEINEKEN South Africa celebrated National Arbour Month with a symbolic tree-planting ceremony at the Thusanang Farming Project in the Khayelitsha informal settlement near the company’s Sedibeng brewery in Midvaal recently.
MIDVAAL.- The ceremony took place in collaboration with food security and urban greening NPO, Food and Trees for Africa (FTFA).
Arbour Week in the first week of September, aims to emphasise the significance of trees and the need to plant indigenous trees across the country. HEINEKEN’s observance of Arbour Week included a ceremonial handing over of an indigenous tree to Thusanang, as well as education to mobilise the local community to become conservationists. Together with FTFA, HEINEKEN will supply Thusanang with further trees, seedlings, fencing, irrigation systems, gardening tools and equipment and workshops for local skills development. HEINEKEN’s support includes the planting of a food garden at partnership with the Midvaal Local Municipality (MLM) to aid in their crop farming endeavours and help ensure food security and the sustainability of local communities and surrounding areas.
In her speech during the ceremony, Tutu Malinga, Sustainability Manager at HEINEKEN South Africa said that National Arbour Week is an auspicious time to call on all South Africans to plant indigenous trees as a practical gesture of sustainable environmental leadership.
“This commitment also shows HEINEKEN strives to be a leading example, supporting the communities in which we operate.”
According to Tshidi Morake, Co-manager of the Thusanang Farming Project, “Through this project, we’ve given community members a platform to thrive and an opportunity to learn about food gardening, giving them access to healthy produce and the know-how to cultivate it themselves.”
Following the tree-planting demonstration, Midvaal Local Municipality Ward Councillor, Mariana Kruger spoke about the concerted effort made by HEINEKEN to ensure that communities are aware of the importance of indigenous trees and local farming. Kruger also expressed that she was grateful for the brewer’s support of the local ward, as this initiative would accelerate the upskilling of local community members.
