18 Sep 2024

Foreign Affairs minister and former Kanye South Member of Parliament, Dr Lemogang Kwape has embarked on a tree planting campaign for the constituency.

Launching the campaign at Tsopye Ward kgotla in Kanye on Tuesday, Dr Kwape said the objective was not to simply turn the area green but was also in line with Sustainable Development Goal 13 which speaks about action to combat climate change and its effects.

He said Botswana had, through Pillar three of Vision 2036 committed to creating a sustainable environment, and noted that the campaign to have 10 000 trees planted across the constituency would add on to efforts to achieve the national aspiration.

Dr Kwape said the campaign was also intended to help in protecting different plant species, particularly those at risk of extinction.

Appealing to recipients of the trees to look beyond using them only for shade and fruits consumption, the minister urged them to explore ways in which they could infuse the notion of value addition.

He said if preserved properly, the fruits could be consumed over a longer period of time, and could potentially also be sold to generate income for households.

Encouraging residents to get ready for the ploughing season, he reminded them to make use of Temo Letlotlo programme to enhance food security at household level.

Department of Forestry and Range Resources, senior forestry and range resources officer Ms Ogolotse Modise said the tree planting initiative was commendable given the role that trees played in the ecosystem.

Ms Modise said some trees could also be used for medicinal purposes, saying research had since shown that 25 per cent of medicines were plant-based.

The officer said it was important to keep planting trees since their population was often affected by the occurrence of droughts and veld fires.

She said for the launch, 200 plants, a mix of both shade and fruits trees were distributed to residents, explaining further that the Department of Forestry and Range Resources had made available 1 841 trees towards the campaign.

Kgosi Motswakgakala Sealetsa and Kgosi Obusitswe Kgame of Goo-Motebejana and Tsopye wards concurred with other speakers on the importance of trees.

Kgosi Sealetsa said Bangwaketse had always regarded highly the importance of trees. Kgosi Kgame stated that trees were pivotal to the health of humans as they purified the air that people breathed. Ends