Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts: Launch of one million trees campaign

Deputy Minister of DPSA Ms Pinky Kekana 
Deputy Minister of Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities, Mapaseka Steve Letsike 
Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of Eritrea: H.E Mr Salih Omar Abdu 
Türkish Ambassador to South Africa: H.E Mrs K. Nilvana Darama Yildirimgec
High Commissioner of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan: H.E. Mr Malik Muhammad Farooq 
Members of the Diplomatic Corps
His Majesty Morena Moremoholo Motebang Mopeli of the Bakoena Royal House (Qwaqwa)
Morena Charles Napo Mopeli- representing the Committee on Land Use & Infrastructure Management at The Provincial House of Traditional Leaders (Free State Province)
Representatives of the institutions that have pledged to support the One Million Trees Campaign
Chief Executive Officer of SANBI, Mr Shonisani Munzhedzi
Potential sponsors and partners
Non- Government Organisations
Students and learners
Representatives of Labour Unions
Team DFFE
Members of the media
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen

I am so excited to address you at this session of the launch of the One Million Trees campaign, hosted in this vibrant space of research and innovation, the Pretoria National Botanical Garden.

As the world commemorates International Nelson Mandela Day this month we are reminded of our leader Nelson Mandela’s words: “Ubuntu is a simple, big idea. It asserts that the common ground of our humanity is greater and more enduring than the differences that divide us. It is so, and it must be so, because we share the same fateful human condition…Though we differ across cultures and faiths, and though history has divided rich from poor, free from unfree, powerful from powerless and race from race, we are still all branches on the same tree of humanity.”

The country has borne the brunt of climate change and the resultant devastation it causes in communities and economies. We have witnessed fires, deadly heatwaves, heavy rains, floods, and prolonged droughts.  These events underscore our shared vulnerability, but also our shared responsibility to act, to adapt, and to do so in a way that leaves no one behind. 

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, as the custodian of the forestry function in South Africa, is responsible for implementing the National Greening Programme. The initiative supports the MTDP, Strategic Priority 1: Drive inclusive growth and job creation. It will empower local communities by creating employment opportunities through tree planting, thereby promoting local economic development. The initiative also supports MTDP Strategic Priority 2: Reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living, by integrating fruit trees into food security efforts, social cohesion and nation-building.

Professor Ashraf Coovadia remarked that “climate change poses a growing threat to child health in Southern Africa, and urgent multisectoral action is needed. With its scientific capacity and regional leadership, South Africa can play a pivotal role in developing and implementing solutions that protect children’s health now and in the future.” 

Tree planting is one of the mitigating factors that are recommended to slow down this environmental threat. It is for this reason that the department is pursuing the coordination and implementation of the National Greening Programme. 

To ensure that South Africans benefit from the National Greening Programme, His Excellency the President of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa, directed that 10 million trees, comprised of 60 percent fruit and 40 percent indigenous, be planted in the country over a period of five (5) years, which is ending in 2026. The initiative, which links to goal 13 of Sustainable Development Goals, is a clarion call to South Africans from all walks of life to participate and contribute towards the greening of our country. 

Speaking during his oversite visit to the City of Johannesburg in March, President Ramaphosa commented on the importance of planting trees. “I went to Addis Ababa…they told me they had planted 10 billion trees to bring greenery and to bring life into Addis Ababa. And much as the trees are still small, you could see that this is an African city that is really going to live up to its image of being a true African City. So that it’s not just a concrete jungle. And we can do better. I have been calling on us, including the Ministry of Environmental Affairs, that lets plant billions of trees and get our people involved in planting those seedlings and we go and acquire them from them and plant them around and green our cities.”  

He further said, “I forever mourn when I go to Soweto and I see how we don’t have enough trees in that Soweto environment and indeed in many other townships as well. So part of beautifying our cities, part of injecting life in our cities, should be looking at our environment, making it clean, making it attractive.”

In short, the programme is aimed at creating sustainable settlements, addressing household food security when trees are integrated into homestead gardens, and mitigating against the harmful effects of climate change. Besides beautification of surroundings and creating an aesthetically pleasing environment, trees are known as effective carbon sinks, windbreaks that shelter buildings during violent storms, contributors towards reducing pollution by trapping dust particles, and storm water management. 

Having been to other countries that are embarking on a similar programme globally, I came to realise that we have not done much. I know that situations and dynamics are different, but if we are to bring it home here in South Africa it will be possible, given the resources that we have as a country. I am a firm believer that things can be possible if we put our minds to them and focus. It is for this reason that I put forth a challenge that we plant one million trees in a single day, on 24 September 2025, during Heritage Day, while we will still be celebrating Arbour Month. 

We are calling on all South Africans to join hands in greening our country. This is an all of society campaign which calls on collaboration by government departments, municipalities, civil society organisations, Non-Government Organisations, corporates, Students and learners, churches and the public at large to plant at least one million trees for the benefit of our country.

I have started conversations with different role players, and it came as a surprise when I saw the response. Some were asking “what can we assist with” – “how can we be part of this” – and so on. In no time, we had already amassed a lot of support - most have responded positively, though we are in the process of tallying commitments and pledges in this regard. 

On 28 March 2025, I launch the One Employee One Tree initiative internally targeting all employees of the Department. This initiative was well received and supported by the labour unions within the Department. Hence they are also represented here today. I have instructed our Director General, Ms Nomfundo Tshabalala to extend this initiative to all the government departments through the Forum of South African Directors General.

I want every worker both in public and private sector to join hands with us in this campaign by pledging and donating trees towards the One Million Trees campaign.  

This greening programme is taking place at a time when the environment of the country and indeed the entire Africa is counting the cost of climate change, and drastic measures are urgently needed for a swift recovery. South Africa's G20 Presidency's Environment and Climate Sustainability Working Group prioritisation of Land degradation, desertification and drought highlights their direct threat to economies, food security, and sustainable development. Planting trees helps to combat these phenomena.

Because we know that education does not only happen in the classroom, but my team has also proposed measures that need to be done to achieve the objective. 

Firstly, if we plant the trees that are suitable for a particular area, we will be slowly winning the battle. Working with researchers, we have developed a list of suitable trees according to agro-ecological zones and climatic conditions per province.

Secondly, we have developed a database of nurseries where trees will be sourced, and later on, I will ask my IT team to demonstrate how sponsors and South Africans can participate through the QR system developed to access the pledge form and the catalogue of the nurseries. For those with entrepreneurial ambitions, as trees will also be sourced from farmers, this initiative is committed to creating an enabling environment for them to build and own their future.

We have made a provision to accommodate those stakeholders or sponsors that are intending to contribute trees. The South African National Biodiversity Institute’s (SANBI) has designated spaces to be used as Tree Bank where the donated trees will be stored. The donated trees will be stored at the 11 National Botanical Gardens across the country and DFFE nurseries whilst we are finalising logistics for the one million trees planting day, 24th September 2025.  We are dedicating that day for planting trees across the country as we commemorate the Heritage Day.

The department has also identified safe spaces where trees will be planted. We call them safe because trees will survive even after we have left. These are areas where most of the requirements to plant and care for trees such as availability of water, a dedicated person to take care of the trees, security or fencing, amongst others, are met. These include public institutions, Early Childhood Development Centres, churches, schools, police stations, clinics, identified Low-Income Cost Housing units and many other places alike. To date a list of sites where trees will be planted in the country has been developed and is being refined as we get input from stakeholders.

Thank you for joining us today as we reflect on the progress made through the Revamped Greening Programme, covering the period from January to date. We have already started a number of build-up activities to heighten this initiative. As the department held Imbizos on e-waste in Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West provinces, we managed to distribute 7000 trees to the 70 traditional leaders that we met in those areas. During those Imbizos we gifted each traditional leaders 100 trees as confirmation and commitment to participate in the activities on the 24th September 2025. 

The country hosted the second African Forum on Urban Forestry from the 18th to the 21st March 2025 and the International Day of Forests, where 2,000 trees were planted at Diepsloot. We managed to use this event to raise awareness to countries that participated in the forum and 10 trees were planted at the Freedom Park.

Today, I am not just addressing people; I am speaking to the ambassadors of this initiative, the changemakers of South Africa and sponsors who have risen to the challenge to build a better country for the benefit of everyone as we heed the call as directed by the President. We can make it but there is the cost factor. You are the hope we carry and the power we must unlock.
  
Fellow South Africans, let us heed our President’s call to plant billions of trees. The journey towards planting a billion trees starts with our commitment today, pledge and donate trees to participate in the One Million Trees campaign under the theme: “My Tree, My Oxygen. Plant yours Today” .

In closing, I would like to pay tribute to some of you as shining examples of how one organisation, powered by volunteerism, can bring hope to millions.

Let us be reminded of the words of the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace laureate, Wangari Maathai: “When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and hope.”

I will now hand over to the IT team, who will give you a detailed presentation on how you can participate wherever you will be, through the online system. 

I thank you.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Peter Mbelengwa
Cell: 082 611 8197 
E-mail: pmbelengwa@dffe.gov.za 

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