11 September 2006

By Sipho None

PLANS are afoot to include lessons on the importance of plants and trees in the school curriculum.

This was said by executive mayor of Mogale City, Koketso Calvin Seerane, at a celebration of Arbor Week at West Rand School for the Disabled.

"We want to reinforce the old saying that when we sit under a tree we sit under the past, when you plant a tree you invest in the future," he said.

The annual week-long event to promote knowledge of trees, particularly indigenous trees, highlighted the important role that forestry plays in the economy, especially in the rural areas, and raised awareness of the dangers of veld and forest fires.

"There is a need to broaden our horizons in conveying more information about the importance of trees and the role they play in the economy of this country. And our schools are the best platforms. We are on a mission to see to it and make sure that we green our beautiful city," Seerane said.

Jeunesse Park, the chief executive of Food and Trees for Africa, a non-governmental organisation that specialises in organic food gardening also known as Permaculture, announced that her organisation has a comprehensive programme to plant 8 500 trees in the country, 1000 of which will be planted in Mogale City. The organization has been working closely with Mogale City since 2002.

"It is encouraging to see a municipality like Mogale City having a greening programme, and as an institution we came in handy to help them in rolling the programme. We have been working with Mogale City municipality for a very long time," Park said.

The annual concept of Arbor Day originated in Nebraska in the USA in 1872. In South Africa, the day was first celebrated in 1983. The enthusiasm with which it was received inspired the national government in 1999 to extend Arbor Day into Arbor Week from 1 to 7 September every year.

The popular Afro-pop sensation Yvonne Chaka Chaka added a poignant note to the occasion, adding: "Children, like trees, are the future. We cannot live without trees and children, and it pisses me off when I see people urinate on the trees". To round off the event, Seerane and Chaka Chaka, together with Mogale City councillors, planted a batch of indigenous trees - karee, weeping willows and wild olives - in the schoolyard. Similar events were celebrated and trees planted in other areas of Mogale City, including the Thusong Centre for the Mentally Disabled.