Tshwane's tree-planting initiative in Mamelodi celebrates G20 legacy

The City of Tshwane embarked on a tree-planting initiative in Mamelodi township on Monday as part of its commitment to the G20 legacy project. 

The effort aims to make residents feel included in the international event's activities and follows a commitment made during the June Shepherd meeting co-hosted by Tshwane and the City of Johannesburg.

Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya said the tree-planting event coincided with the Nelson Mandela Day celebrations, which were officially observed on Friday. 

“This is part of our G20 commitment. We hosted the Shepherd meeting earlier in June, and part of that was for legacy projects, which means we must do something even if it is in the name of G20, where the residents of Tshwane would feel that they were part of that milestone that we have achieved as the city in co-hosting the G20,” she said.

A team of municipal officials from the horticultural department, community members, and leaders joined hands in a collaborative effort to plant trees. 

The initiative is part of the city's broader goal to green its townships and beautify its parks. 

Moya said the city aims to not only beautify its parks but also prioritise greening them, as these open spaces are utilised by the community.

“We just want to beautify our city. One of the things that we have seen is that townships are naked, but when you go to the suburbs, they are green and beautiful,” she said.

She emphasised that the city needs to educate communities about the importance of greening spaces, as some residents cut down trees, citing obstruction of their homes.

“We need to teach them about the importance of greening our spaces, especially as we are fighting climate change,” she said.

The city has set a target to plant 300,000 trees by December and has called on residents to come and collect trees from the municipality. 

“That is the ideal target that we want to contribute to Gauteng because there are provincial and national targets,” Moya said, noting that on Monday, they planted 28 trees at Mandela Park in the township and at a local preschool.

The tree-planting initiative also aimed to tackle hunger in collaboration with a non-profit organisation called Backyard Farmers. 

Moya said: “Our people are hungry, and that is why we are collaborating with the Backyard Farmers to promote to our people that you don’t need to wait for help while you have a piece of land.”

Thabang Shongwe of Backyard Farmers welcomed the city's initiative to combat hunger, describing it as commendable. 

“We are fully behind the mayor’s climate action plan. This is part of our community greening programme where we go to communities and hand out trees,” he said.

On Friday, Moya visited Ga-Rankuwa, where the city donated blankets to beneficiaries of the Ikageng Centre, specifically supporting visually impaired children. 

She said that aligning the tree-planting initiative with Mandela Day is crucial, as it reflects the legacy of a healthy nation they aim to leave behind and addresses climate change through nature-based solutions.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za