3 May 2005

By Clifford Mogotsi

NUMEROUS fruit trees were planted in Ga-Mohale in April in celebration of Earth Day. Green Lungs, an initiative of the government, and greening programme Food And Trees For Africa donated 6 000 fruit trees and 12 000 packets of vegetable seeds to the community at a function at the Ubuntu Guest House.

Boyce Maneli, the head of Mogale City's environmental management portfolio, planted a fig tree. Ga-Mohale township is one of the first rural townships established by Mogale City and this was the first time a celebration of this kind was held in the area.

There are many such events planned around the world to celebrate Earth Day 2005. Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 and is now recognised by millions of people worldwide, on either the March Equinox or on 22 April.

To mark the day's 35th anniversary, hundreds of thousands of non-governmental organisations, governments, teachers and religious groups worldwide have declared their allegiance to the global movement, which aims to protect the planet and its children for the future.

A timely reminder of everyone's right to the planet, it also underlines each person's equal responsibility to preserve, protect and improve the earth. Green Lungs works to this end by promoting and implementing the greening of urban and peri-urban areas in South Africa.

The greening project is funded by the national Department of Agriculture. At the celebration, residents were encouraged to plant trees of which a part - flowers, fruit, leaves, stems or roots - have culinary, medicinal or cosmetic properties.

Mogale City Executive Mayor Lentswe Mokgatle described urban greening as a valuable tool for city planners to transform cities into organic-cities aimed at improving living conditions for all.

"The legacy of apartheid has not only left segregated communities with a lack of basic services such as roads, water, sanitation and electricity, but also with a living environment that is polluted and dusty, with a lack of vegetation to support healthy life," Mokgatle said.

He saw the partnership with Food And Trees For Africa and Green Lungs as another way to help the City meet its sustainable development and urban greening objectives.

Green Lungs, in associating with the City's Integrated Environment Management, has planned to train residents as community-based educators. Lucky Xaba, a Food And Trees For Africa representative, said the training would give people the skills they needed to boost awareness of and education about food gardens and seed distribution.

"We want to see people producing their own food from their gardens and we are prepared to provide more seeds and trees for our people," Xaba said.

Rinus Bouwer, the deputy director of City Parks, said the project was another way to empower people to meet their own basic needs. "This project will also be extended to more urbanised areas, where poverty is also a reality in many people's life."

The areas he mentioned included Munsieville Ext 4, Sinqobile, Rietvallei, Lusaka and Kagiso.

"It is significant that this momentous occasion of tree planting and urban greening can be launched on international Earth Day, and it is a refection of this municipality's sincere commitment to protect our earth at a local level," Mokgatle said.

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