The Department for Community Services led by Portfolio Chairperson for Community Services, Councillor Hlatshwayo, recently planted over 10 indigenous trees as part of Arbor Day campaign activations at Iziko, Sizakancane and Qaphelani primary schools.
Among the 10 planted trees was the Pompom (Dias Contifolia) tree, dubbed the National Tree of the Year for 2022. The campaign was aimed at sensitising South Africans to the need for conserving, protecting and planting trees for environmental and human-related ideals. The idea was to highlight the value and importance of trees and forests to Newcastle citizens. The effects of human-caused global warming are happening now and are likely to worsen in the decades to come. The potential effects of global climate change include more frequent wildfires, longer periods of drought in some regions and an increase in the duration and intensity of tropical storms. Cllr Hlatshwayo, while addressing the learners, highlighted the imperative role that trees play in sustainable development and the livelihoods of people and their environment. “I urged educators to encourage learners to care for the environment by avoiding littering, establishing food gardens and planting trees,” he said. Cllr Hlatshwayo then took the learners on the step-by-step process of planting a tree and further encouraged the young ones to nurture the trees as part of their schooling activities.
