Wits joins Ten Million Trees campaign
- Wits University
The Wits community has responded to the national call to plant trees in order to mitigate against climate change.
Members of the Wits community, including students, staff and leadership gathered to play their part in the Presidential Ten Million Trees Flagship Project, a campaign that promotes the planting of trees to tackle climate threats and support biodiversity and urban greening. The national campaign led by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment not only contributes to climate resilience but also raises awareness about the importance of trees. The programme hosted under the theme, My tree, my oxygen. Plant yours today, aspires to plant at least two million trees per annum for a period of five years.
Various academic programmes, research units and operations departments at Wits are at the forefront of producing knowledge and solutions to aid efforts that minimise climate risks and promote adaptability. The tree planting activities at Wits are led by the Operations and Facilities Management Department (OFMD) working together with various structures, adding to ongoing campus greening initiatives.
The new trees planted at the Wits Management Campus in Parktown campus include 20 fruit trees and 20 ornamental trees, donated by Eskom.
Professor Ian Jandrell, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Systems and Operations, planted the first tree, naming it Kopano, a Sesotho word for “unity.” He explained that the name reflects the importance of collective action in addressing climate challenges. “What we are doing is important for our planet. It’s our contribution to our campus, our city, and our country,” he said.
Student leader and member of the Green Campus Initiative Amahle Xulu echoed this message:
“Today we are not just planting trees, we are planting opportunities for healthier lives, stronger communities and a more sustainable future.”
“Initiatives like these remind us as students that climate action and food security aren’t just distant global issues; they are also things that we can start addressing here in our own spaces with our own hands. Each fruit tree planted today will serve as a living classroom and a reminder that sustainability is not just a theory but something that we can practice and experience together as a community,” said Xulu who also serves as the Vice-Chairperson of the All Residence Sub-Council and the Vice-Chairperson of Barnato Residence.
Youth Activism and Wits’ Commitment
Society’s capacity to maintain livelihoods in households, raise children and sustain communities is dependent on climate stability. Wits scholars write that: “as the effects of climate change intensify, we will need to care for each other more than ever before, and we need systems to enable better care of our environment.
As current heirs and custodians of the environment, SRC Secretary General Siphosethu Dyumbu said young people are mobilising around sustainability and creating a more caring society.
The SRC hosted an Eco-Vision Summit in August to provide a platform for students to engage on climate change. More importantly, the summit served to “direct the vision of what needs to take place in this global transition towards green energy”, he said.
Speaking to the effects of climate change, he cited food insecurity and escalating food production costs as one of the challenges that threaten students and communities.
“Before we are students, we are members of our community and therefore it is incumbent that we educate each other and respond appropriately.”
Phumzile Mathabe, Deputy Director of Environmental Services at OFMD highlighted that the initiative aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. These goals, according to the international body, recognise “that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.”
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