April 26, 2007
By Lesego Madumo
JOHANNESBURG City Parks further implemented the Greening Soweto Legacy Project (GSLP) when 350 trees were planted in Zone 9 and 10 in Meadowlands, Soweto, on Wednesday 25 April to celebrate Earth Day.
The event was themed "Green and socially responsible" and was designed to raise awareness and spark action against the neglect and abuse of the environment.
The opening ceremony was held at Dorothy Nyembe Environmental Education Centre in Dobsonville, Soweto, attended by councillors, Nancy Dos Reis (Miss Earth South Africa 2007), distinguished members of the Soweto community and students from a learnership programme run by the Wildlife Environmental Society of South Africa (WESSA).
Students from WESSA were joined by Soweto community members in planting trees
Geoffrey Cooke, Acting Managing Director of the Johannesburg City Parks was also present.
In his keynote speech, Councillor Prema Naidoo said that if Joburg wanted to compete with world-class cities, then "let's work together to build a better quality of life, for a vibrant and healthy next generation".
A member of the Mayoral Committee and chairperson for Environment in the City of Joburg, Naidoo said that the subject of the environment has always been close to his heart. "I've always maintained that unlike the number of pairs of shoes we have, or the number of cars we may drive, we only have one earth. We all must become custodians of the environment."
He emphasised that the City and Joburg City Parks have been working tirelessly to maintain, educate, conserve, and sustain the environment. "The quality of the environment in the area has without doubt increased drastically."
However, he warned that the Soweto community needs to heed that mankind is only one of the many species on earth. "This effectively means that we are compromising our own existence as human species if we don't [protect the environment] now."
Following what the councillor said, 700 schoolchildren from Klindlimukani, Kwa Mahlobo, and Kelokisto schools, joined forces with students from WESSA, the media, and Mayibuye Wetlands Project to plant 350 indigenous trees in Meadowlands.
They were all given tree pledges to read out to trees that they had planted, promising to take care of them and not harm them. The pledge read, "…Hereby promise to take care of you and not hurt you."
The kids pledged to water the trees and not break their branches, as a way of helping preserve the environment and greening Soweto for 2010 and beyond.
Vincent Maboea, one of the WESSA students, told the schoolchildren to preserve trees because it is a social responsibility.
Maboea, who is learning to be an environmental specialist, spoke after he shared enlightening information with the schoolchildren about trees and the environment.
He said: "Trees provide us with shade and oxygen, and they beautify our areas." He further pleaded with the schoolchildren to love and protect the trees, as he shared jokes and asked them questions.
Jenny Moodley, marketing and communications manager for Johannesburg City Parks, complemented what Maboea had said. She said the importance of celebrating Earth Day was to get people to commit to nurturing their environment.
"A tree not only increases your property values, but also beautifies your area and builds civic pride. You need to nurture your environment for the future generations."
Moodley said that if people don't form concerted efforts to protect the environment, "we will be facing a threat to our species, and that's humankind.
"Communities need to value and respect trees. City Parks is also looking at putting in place a policing system, and if we find out that trees are deliberately being vandalised and destroyed, the City will take the necessary actions against the [perpetrators]."
Moodley spoke after local ward councillor Morgan Gomati had claimed in his opening speech that he had seen children around Soweto pulling up trees that had been recently planted.
Gomati urged his constituents to educate their communities about litter and stopping the damaging of trees. "These trees symbolise the commitment of the city and residents of Joburg to build a more healthy and sustainable Earth."
He added: "Less litter and less dumping means more resources for parks, roads, clinics, and schools. Let's all help build a clean city that we can all be proud of."
More than 13 500 trees have already been planted in Soweto since the GSLP started on 1 September 2006. This is visible on the outskirts of the enormous township.
Earth Day was celebrated worldwide on 22 April to raise environmental awareness.
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