Tree planting ceremony at 3SAI Battalion concludes Arbour Month
The MEC for Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Land Reform and Rural Development, Mase Monnapule, along with the commanding officer of 3 South African Infantry Battalion, Colonel Ngwane, and officials from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment and the Department of Defence, officially concluded the 2025 Arbour Month celebrations at 3SAI in Kimberley.
Image: Supplied / Department of Environmental Affairs
The Department of Defence (DoD), in partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Environmental Affairs, Land Reform and Rural Development, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, held a tree planting ceremony to officially conclude 2025 Arbour Month celebrations at the 3 South African Infantry Battalion (3SAI) in Kimberley on September 30.
The ceremony ties in with the One Million Trees campaign to mitigate the effects of climate change. Practical tree planting techniques were demonstrated to ensure the long-term survival of the trees during the event.
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) supplied 550 trees towards the national target, with six additional units that will also be planted across the Northern Cape.
SANDF regional environmental manager Lieutenant-Colonel Lundi Ncubukezi told the 2,000 newly recruited SANDF trainees who attended the event that true security extended beyond defending borders.
"It includes defending the land, air, and water that sustain us."
The manager at the South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON), Dr Zanele Ntshidi, highlighted the moral obligation of all sectors to mitigate the far-reaching implications of climate change.