HA-MHINGA – Mahlweni hiku byla miri, mahlweni! This is the slogan adopted by the community of Mhinga, east of Thohoyandou, in support of the "Trees for homes" project, which was initiated by Food and Trees For Africa in association with the Department of Water Affairs and the Thulamela Municipality.

At least every household in Mhingaville, a new settlement that was established as part of the RDP housing project, received a tree last week Tuesday.

Mhingaville is the only area chosen by the municipality to first benefit from this project, which will also spread, to other villages. The area was chosen because trees were destroyed when the RDP houses were built.

The project was established to encourage community members to plant indigenous trees in their homes for different reasons. Some of the reasons are to provide shelter, and for medicinal use as well as for other unmentioned reasons. Community member Magezi Shivambu urged fellow community members to look after the trees.

On-behalf of DWAF, Steven Matsea said the planting of trees was the beginning of many things to come. He also urged the community to plant more trees on their own while adding that other community members should be encouraged to do the same to promote nature.

Cllr Livhuwani Ngodiseni, who spoke on behalf of Mayor Makumbane, said the community must also stop cutting trees and using them as fire-wood as they have electricity. "The cutting of trees is destroying our nature and it can also affect our health. Some of these trees you are cutting are very rare in such a way that you might never replace them," she concluded while the community responded by echoing the slogan, "Mahlweni hiku byala miri," simply meaning, forward with the planting of trees.