The City of Tshwane recently bagged the first prize in the 2017 National Arbor City Awards held by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The city received prize was awarded in recognition for the successful Arbor month programme and greening initiatives that the City implemented in 2016.

The 2016 greening initiatives were rolled out in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Department of Education, City of Tshwane Economic Development and other external parties.

Tshwane’s five year greening plan

The City’s five year greening plan includes, among other things the development of 100 parks and to review and implement the Adopt-A-Spot Programme. The Programme seeks:

• To enable businesses, companies and organisations to adopt a spot for beautification purposes at no cost to the city.
• To contribute towards urban regeneration.
• To beautify city landscapes and its open spaces.
• To promote Tshwane as the most clean, green, healthy and liveable city in the country and beyond.
• To fight illegal dumping and littering in the city.
• To promote corporate social investment opportunities.

The municipality says the Environment and Agriculture Management department also intends to distribute 75 000 trees by 2021/2022 financial year. “These are trees distributed for planting in parks, streets, cemeteries, nature resorts and other council facilities,” the department adds.

“This includes donations that the Department issues to schools, churches and NGOs. The City will continuously encourage its citizens, community groups, businesses and schools to green their surroundings by planting trees as an understanding and appreciation of the important role that trees play in our environment,” it concluded.