Arbor City Awards handed out for promoting a greener country

WINNERS of the Arbor City Awards have received R1.3 million collectively for their efforts in promoting a greener country.

At the awards ceremony in Port Elizabeth on Sunday night, deputy minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Maggie Sotyu, encouraged South Africans to plant trees and look after their natural environment.

“Greening interventions that include planting of fruit trees into home gardens can make a contribution towards alleviating household food insecurity in both urban and rural settlements,” Sotyu said.

The awards, which are given to cities or towns that go the extra mile, comprised five categories.

The Youth in Greening Municipality went to the City of Umhlathuze Local Municipality. They received R100 000 prize money.

The Metropolitan Category went to the City of Johannesburg. They received R300 000 prize money.

First prize in the Local Municipality Category went to the City of Mbombela Local Municipality from Mpumalanga. They received R300 000.

The second prize in the category went to the Sol Plaatje Local Municipality from the Northern Cape, which won R250 000.

The Ulundi Local Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal won the Rural Local Municipalities Category, with a cash prize of R25 000, while The Most Improved Municipality award went to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality.

They received R100 000 prize money.

The ceremony was preceded by the official launch of the National Arbor Month Campaign, co-ordinated by the Departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Environmental Affairs, in partnership with long-time sponsor, Total South Africa.

“The primary objective of the Arbor campaign is to ensure greening initiatives in the country.

‘‘The communities of Motherwell, KwaZakhele, and New Brighton have benefited from this objective where fruit and indigenous trees were planted in community parks and some distributed to households and a local school.

‘‘This campaign plans to have 40 000 trees planted throughout the country, with at least 3 000 trees planted in and around the city of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality by the end of September,” the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries said.

The City’s Recreation and Parks Department has started planting 150 yesterday, which were received as a donation from the Indian Consulate to commemorate the 150th celebration of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.

The City’s Community Services and Health mayco member Zahid Badroodien and the Consul General of India in Cape Town, Abhishek Shukla, attended the event.

Badroodien said: “Commemorative events are being held in memory of Mahatma Gandhi’s extraordinary life, around the world and in Cape Town. The City received a generous donation of 150 trees and has started planting them at Arderne Gardens as part of National Arbor Month activities that will be taking place throughout September.

“The City’s Recreation and Parks Department will be planting over a thousand trees across the city this month.”