Mandela Day has become a day where the nation chooses to do charitable deeds.
Many will spend the better part of their day tomorrow supporting and helping those in need.
Today, though, the white Stinkwood tree that was planted by Madiba himself in celebration of his 90th birthday will be unveiled as a heritage site by the Gauteng Provincial Government Heritage Resource.
The Nelson Mandela Champion Tree was planted in Thokoza Park, Soweto, in 2008 to commemorate Arbor month, as part of Johannesburg City Parks’ tree-planting campaign.
Noeleen Mattera of Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) said the tree was planted as part of the Greening Soweto Legacy Project, which started in 2006.
“It was aimed at planting 200 000 trees to bridge the green divide between the tree vistas of the north and sparse south of Joburg and our target was met.”
Mattera said JCPZ had extended an invitation to the Nelson Mandela Foundation in 2008 for Madiba to plant a tree for his 90th birthday.
The tree was the 90 990th to take root under the legacy project.
“To our utmost delight, he accepted the invitation, together with his wife Graça Machel where they planted the Stinkwood, which now has been gazetted as a heritage site.”
On the day of the tree planting, Machel helped Madiba lift a spade and fill the hole with soil.