Program director
Nkosi Nokwanele
Nkosi Mandla Ah! Zwelivelile Mandela
Honourable Bantu Holomisa
Mr M Smith, Carbon Works CEO
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
I am humbled to be part of this ceremony, which is held not only at the birthplace of Tata Mandela but also, quite significantly, on the second day in the month of women, in recognition of the dedication and humility of Tata Mandela. We are today giving back a fraction of what our beloved Madiba gave to us all.
When I received the invitation to join you in this momentous occasion, I didn't need further persuasion. I am joining you in the planting of 92 trees in celebration of Madiba’s 92 years.
Trees are the lungs of mother Earth. They improve the health and beauty of the local environment and guarantee a green future for our country. There could not have been a better symbol to show our appreciation of Madiba’s enduring vision selfless sacrifice, exemplary leadership and rich legacy than this tree planting ceremony.
Programme director, this tree planting ceremony at Qunu is not a mere coincidence. It is rather a profound and highly symbolic event. Wangari Muta Maathai, the Nobel Peace prize winner from Kenya, writes in her memoirs, titled UNBOWED, “Trees are living symbols of peace and hope. A tree has roots in the soil yet reaches to the sky. It tells us that in order to aspire we need to be grounded, and that no matter how high we go it is from our roots that we draw sustenance. It is a reminder to all of us who have had success that we cannot forget where we came from. It signifies that no matter how powerful we become in government or how many awards we receive, our power and strength and our ability to reach our goals depend on the people, those whose work remains unseen, who are the soil out of which we grow, the shoulder on which we stand.”
This year has been declared as the International Year of Biodiversity, with the theme “Biodiversity is Health” designated for the month of August. South Africa has actively embraced the message of biodiversity protection hence we have been at the forefront of conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing of our natural resources through the development of a number of products, ranging from broad strategic policy and legislation, to programmes that are aimed at reaching conservation targets.
Through our Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP), SRPP, the Department of Environmental Affairs has prioritised such programmes with a view to enhance the quality of our people’s lives, while addressing ecological challenges our unsustainable use of resources has caused.
Our ecosystems supply us with food and fuel, clean our air and water, and help regulate our climate. In short, they provide a wide range of services - ecosystem services on which our well being and livelihoods as humanity depend.
Our survival as human beings is dependent on how we treat our environment – how we relate with our natural resources like trees, grass and water. Humans must learn to recognise themselves as a conscious part of nature and live with the life that surrounds them.
Our actions and our inactions will determine the path we will take as a people and the kind of legacy we will leave for our children and their children.
Our country is endowed with natural resources that have placed us as the third most mega-diverse country in the world.
Our planting of trees today, symbolic as it is, is also a contribution towards reversing the damage that we have as a people continued to inflict on our world.
Today we will seek to, in our own symbolic way, reverse the challenge by ensuring that in celebration of Tata Mandela’s 92 years we will plant 92 trees.
This is the green revolution! Plant a tree and grow our future!
Enkosi!
