Growing trees, growing children

Watering coral tree seedlings, Lungelo Mazibuko (15) is a Treepeneur within her community of Luphisi, Mpumalanga .

We arrive at a guest house that looks like something out of the deep American south, a gracious old manor house with broekie lace and upstairs balconies. However in Witrivier, Mpumalanga this is so out of context as to imagine Blanche of the Golden Girls swanning in chewing on a stukkie biltong.

We are courteously shown to our rooms, each a quiet explosion of floral fantasy with their own names, I am Country Rose, Tim is Summer Breeze and Mark is Royal Secret. This green theme must be synchronicity because our visit the following morning is to the Wildlands Conservation Trust project called Treepeneurs.

Wildlands Conservation Trust's vision is to green our future, and their work has been supported by the Old Mutual Foundation since 2008. The way the Treepeneurs project works is that young children, and particularly vulnerable members of the community (orphans), are provided with seed packs for indigenous trees such as sausage tree, marula, coral tree, natal mahogany, acacia and fig tree etc. These budding young ‘treepeneurs’ or TP’s as the community refers to them, are provided with basic training on how to propagate these seeds and nurture the seedlings until 30cm high (which takes approx 3-6 months depending on season and tree type). Once they have a batch of trees at the required height, they then ‘trade’ these trees back to Wildlands who plant them into selected areas as part of their reforestation programme.

By creating a currency of trees, a treepeneur can trade trees back to Wildlands in exchange for meaningful items such as foodstuff, building materials, bicycles, even laptops. It’s a creative way of raising environmental awareness amongst the youth, securing their active participation in greening their communities, whilst assisting the vulnerable members of our society. Here’s some examples of the currency table:
- 1 x 10kg flour = 22 trees
- 1 x 5kg sugar = 7 trees
- 1 x pocket cement = 45 trees
- bicycle = 100 trees
- computer laptop = 2300 trees

Our visit this morning is to Luphisi, a small community outside of Witrivier. (The Foundation has invested R600 000 over a three year period into this Mpumanlanga Treepeneurs project). Although it’s the middle of June, it’s already promising to become a hot day. The landscape is dry and dusty, with brown winter grass interrupted by grey-green scrub and thorn trees. Every now and then, rocky outcrops bulge up from the earth – perfect leopard koppies, I think to myself. Not such an unrealistic thought in fact, as I chat with Hlengiwe Mthembu (28), Wildlands Conservation for Mpumalanga region, she mentioned that earlier on her drive through to meet us, a leopard had crossed the road in front of her car. She couldn’t believe her eyes!


Luphisi. Winter in Mpumalanga is hot by day and bitterly cold at night. The winter vegetation is dry, dusty and brown. Poverty and unemployment are real problems is such small communities as this. Above an indigenous marula tree quietly anchors the passing life. 

In Luphisi, we meet Lungelo Mazibuko (15) who is a young treepeneur. Lungelo is a leggy young lass, who has been a TP since she was 12 years old. Initially a bit shy on meeting us, she soon warmed up and started talking about her project. “When I first started at a TP, I was interested to know how I could benefit from the project.  But now having looked after the trees, I’ve learnt about nature and the environment, about how to look after the atmosphere.  I’ve never been one to go out on the streets like the other children. I take my project as my playtime. When I come home from school, I like to irrigate my trees, weed them and talk to them. My friends often used to think I’m wasting my time, doing this work for no money, but when they saw my new bicycle they were jealous of me and wanted to ride it. I said no, because I had worked for it.”

Lungelo takes us to her nursery of about 400 seedling trees.  She points out a leafy young coral tree, such a quintessential part of the African bush landscape with its flame-red flowers. Between Mark and Tim, Lungelo is soon patiently watering and weeding plants for the cameras. I watch her at work and think she has hopefully found a way out - just a chink at this stage - of the cycle of poverty within her community. She is aware of the environment around her and is focused on completing her tertiary studies with the assistance of Treepeneurs. She has already decided that she wants to become a geologist.

Treepeneur, Lungelo Mazibuko nurtures her seedlings

(Above) Children and trees, tender green shoots (below).



Lungelo lives alone with her mother, Sibongiseni Mazibuko. 'Sibongiseni' means to 'come and give thanks' and she was so named as she was the lastborn and only daughter after six boys. Her parents were understandably thrilled. 

We drive out to visit the holding nursery where all the seedling trees are kept once they’ve been traded in by the TP’s. To my eye, the plants look brown and I enquire worriedly about this, however I am assured that this is winter season and totally normal. Hlengiwe informs me that earlier this year, the Wildlands Greening team came out to Luphisi and assisted the community to plant 16 000 trees over a two-month period. “We want to grow a forest,” she says. Environmental concerns often come last when there are more pressing issues like poverty and hunger, but she has worked hard at building relationships with the local tribal authorities and she has the support of the community.  

The holding nursery at Luphisi has over 10 000 trees. From left to right, Treepeneur Lungelo Mazibuko, Hlengiwe Mthembu of Wildlands Conservation Trust, Mpumalanga; Thusile Mohale, Treepeneurs Facilitator; Treepeneur and friend of Lungelo is Morris Nkosi.

Hlengiwe Mthembu (28), Wildlands Conservation Trust for Gauteng & Mpumalanga, stands amongst the natural bush of Luphisi where over 16 000 tree seedlings have been planted. The bush is at it's driest now in the height of winter, and Hlengiwe has laughingly secured a promise from me to visit again in six months time to see for myself the transformation that takes place.

By now its 27C, a normal winter’s day for an area that can easily reach 40-45C in summer; it’s been a long day of filming and we are bushed, literally and figuratively. Driving back from Luphisi onto Hazyview, we decide there’s only one way to wash the dust from our throats. The guys set off to secure some liquid gold refreshment, but after 6pm everything seems closed. A quick enquiry at the service station assures us there is an answer; just around the corner is Papa Joe’s Tavern. Hooray ...

Mark's Gallery:

The fragile interconnectedness of life

Thulisile, Lungelo and Morris collect bright red buffalo-thorn seeds. A great GoPro shot!