Planting For The Future: Arbor Month Takes Root At Cango Academy

The handover took place on 30 September 2026. Dr Nina Viljoen, Head of Environmental Management at the Garden Route District Municipality, delivered an address before representatives took part in the symbolic planting of one of the trees.

In her address, Dr Viljoen reflected on the significance of planting trees in the Klein Karoo, where extreme heat, dry conditions and pressure on water resources make the selection of indigenous, water-wise vegetation particularly important.

Both species donated are particularly well suited to their new home. Karee trees (Searsia lancea) and Spekboom (Portulacaria afra) alike are both hardy, require little water, and are drought resistant with Karee trees, once established, providing the added benefit of valuable shade around the Academy. Spekboom is also widely considered valuable in the fight against climate change due to its natural ability as a carbon sink. Both plants are also naturally found in the area, making them an appropriate choice for the Oudtshoorn environment.
But the morning represented far more than simply adding greenery to the Academy grounds.

Dr Viljoen drew a meaningful parallel between the trees being planted and the purpose of the Academy itself: both require investment today before their full potential can be realised.

The trees may still be small, but in the years ahead they will grow to provide shade, support biodiversity, protect soil and create cooler spaces. Dr Viljoen reflected on the possibility that students attending the Academy today could return many years from now to find the Karee trees much larger, with future students sitting beneath them during lunch breaks, studying in their shade, spending time with friends or simply finding a cooler place to relax on a hot Oudtshoorn afternoon.

It is a simple image, but one that beautifully captures what the day represented.

The same principle lies at the heart of the Africa Skills Cango Academy. By bringing practical skills development and training opportunities closer to the people of Oudtshoorn, the Academy represents an investment whose impact can continue to grow over time. Through education and skills development, students are given opportunities to build knowledge, develop workplace skills and create new possibilities for themselves and their families.

According to Dr Garrett Eriksen, Director of Academic Programmes and Research at Cango Academy, the initiative aligns directly with the ethos of the Academy. Just as a young tree requires the right environment, care and investment to grow and reach its full potential, the Academy seeks to create an environment in which people are given the skills, opportunities and support they need to develop and build towards their own futures.

The tree donation was first proposed by Dr Viljoen earlier in September as part of the Garden Route District Municipality’s Arbor Month activities, with the Cango team enthusiastically accepting the opportunity to establish Karee trees and Spekboom at the new skills centre.

The initiative culminated in the handover and planting on 30 September, where remarks from both the Garden Route District Municipality and Cango Wildlife were followed by the official tree handover, planting and photographs.
As the first tree took its place in the soil, the occasion became a celebration of two forms of growth: one environmental and one educational.

Thirty-five young trees now have a new home at the Cango Academy. In time, they will become part of the landscape, providing shade and environmental benefits to generations of students who pass through its doors. At the same time, the Academy will continue its own journey of growth, investing in skills, education and opportunities for the people of Oudtshoorn.

Perhaps that is the most fitting legacy with which to close Arbor Month: what we nurture today can benefit generations to come.

May these trees grow alongside the Academy, its students and the opportunities it creates for the people of Oudtshoorn.