11 Dec 2023

Trees are valuable to every community because they provide beauty, shade, a place to do business and they cool the air and the soil as well as being a source of the oxygen for people. 

Where there is shade, the soil is cooler and it helps to retain moisture allowing the grass to grow and prevent soil erosion. 

Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Sethabelo Modukanele said this during the launch of Roads with Trees Association in Serowe on Saturday. 

Mr Modukanele, who is also Lerala/Maunatlala MP said trees provided beauty, shade and a place for small vendors to sell goods. 

He said visitors often remarked on the abundance of trees in this country. 

He observed that the association had planted trees in many public places in Serowe. 

With the help of the Teemane Company and Boiteko Trust, the association planted a few trees along the Swaneng road. 

He said in recent years the association also planted trees in dikgotla and primary schools. He said one important project was planting Mokala trees in the main kgotla that would one day replace the old trees that were being lost due to old age. 

“Let’s note that Serowe has a long history of planting and caring for trees, starting with Khama the Great. He told his people that huge and beautiful trees in the kgotla kwa Kgosing  are not to be cut down. Even today that part of Serowe is rich in grand old trees,” he said. 

The assistant minister also indicated that the late Patrick van Rensburg, who was interested in trees, supervised the planting of trees at Swaneng Hill School, both for fruits and for shade, adding that in 1978 he started the Serowe Forestry Brigade. 

He stated that the Brigade launched a major nursery as well as planting many native and overseas trees on the slopes of Mmaswaneng hill. 

Ms Betsi Kgari, who represented the UNDP Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme, stated that the launch for tree planting by Roads with Trees Association provides up to US$50 000 directly to local communities, including community-based organisations and other non-governmental groups for projects consistent with sustainable development pathways, anchored in silence building, climate change mitigation and improved livelihood of people in various communities. She said through the partnership with the association, they had provided them with resources of up to US$41 755.08 to undertake the climate change mitigation project with the objective of planting trees along the roads in Serowe. 

“As we all know, trees play an important role in cleaning greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and in turn reduce the depletion of the ozone layer and hence reduce the effects of climate change, which we all feel on daily basis. For example, we have felt the hot and cold, dry and windy changes in the past few days,” she said. 

She noted that providing that technical support to Roads with Trees Association, demonstrated that community action could maintain a fine balance between human needs and environmental imperatives. ends