Flora RSA's managing director Kobus Oosthuyzen hands over 5 000 trees to City Parks' managing director Luther Williamson

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City Parks collects the trees from Flora RSA

Soweto to go green by 2010 A nursery has donated 5 000 to Johannesburg City Parks as part of a campaign to beautify Soweto. June 2, 2006 By Emmanuel Mulaudzi SOME 5 000 trees have been donated to Johannesburg City Parks to boost its Greening Soweto Campaign. The trees, a donation from the Flora RSA in De Wildt, near Tshwane, were presented to the managing director of City Parks, Luther Williamson, at a ceremony on Thursday, 1 June. City Parks plans to plant 300 000 trees throughout Soweto by 2010. And the agency responsible for the maintenance and development of Johannesburg's parks and cemeteries is well on its way to meeting this year's target of 10 000 trees. Thanking Flora RSA, Williamson said the donation was the largest ever received by City Parks. Flora RSA also offered advice on caring for the trees. Greening Soweto The Greening Soweto Campaign is a project to beautify and green the township ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, according to City Parks' communications and marketing manager, Jenny Moodley. Some of the consignment of trees to be used to green Soweto The project, targeting previously neglected areas, is also aimed at creating a sense of civic ownership over open spaces: cutting down on littering, illegal dumping, vagrancy and vandalism. The campaign has been given a financial boost, with the City earmarking some R7.6-million for the project. In his budget speech on 24 May, Executive Mayor Amos Masondo identified "some of the key highlights of the operating budget, especially for the 2006/07 financial year". One of those receiving special mention was the City Parks project. "The greening of Soweto will receive R7.6-million, which will primarily be driven by the planting of street trees to enhance the quality of life and the environment," the mayor said. According to Moodley, trees will also be planted in yards and in parks. The project will be officially launched to coincide with Arbor Week, on 1 September. At the launch 2 000 trees will be planted in 10 minutes. Managing director for Flora RSA, Kobus Oosthuyzen, said that when the company heard about the greening campaign, "we thought this is an opportunity to contribute". "[Soweto] is an area that has been neglected in the past," Oosthuyzen said, adding that the people of the township should be proud of their area, given its important place in the country's history. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400 Print this Page E-mail this article to a friend Help using Joburg.org.za