Eastern Cape communities to take over state forestry plantations

The department says the initiative is designed to give local communities greater control over natural resources while creating opportunities for employment, skills development and sustainable rural businesses.

Communities in the Eastern Cape are set to play a bigger role in South Africa's forestry industry after the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) handed over the management of seven state plantations in the Nqadu area. Four more plantations are expected to be transferred before the end of the current financial year as government pushes to expand community participation in the forestry economy.

The department says the initiative is designed to give local communities greater control over natural resources while creating opportunities for employment, skills development and sustainable rural businesses.

Forestry partnerships to strengthen local businesses

Deputy Minister Bernice Swarts said the transfer of plantations will be supported through partnerships between beneficiary communities and experienced forestry companies. These partnerships are expected to provide technical expertise, investment, business support and access to markets, helping communities manage commercially viable forestry operations.

She explained that ownership alone will not guarantee success, making ongoing financial and technical support essential for communities to build profitable enterprises that can contribute to local economic growth.

The Eastern Cape remains one of South Africa's priority regions for forestry expansion, with more than 100,000 hectares identified as having potential for afforestation, subject to environmental assessments, market demand and suitable investment opportunities.

Tree planting programme gathers momentum

Speaking during a nature-based carbon dioxide removal and rural development event at the Nqadu Great Place, Swarts announced that the DFFE will donate 2,000 indigenous and fruit trees to the Nqadu Kingdom as part of climate change mitigation efforts.

The first 750 indigenous trees have already been delivered, while the remaining 1,250 fruit trees are scheduled to arrive by 15 August 2026.

The initiative forms part of the Presidential One Billion Trees Programme, which seeks to mobilise communities, businesses, government institutions and traditional leaders to plant one billion trees over five years. Building on the planting of more than 1.3 million trees in a single day during September 2025, the department is now preparing to coordinate the planting of 10 million trees nationwide on 24 September 2026.

Rural projects create jobs and improve food security

The department has already completed six community projects across the Eastern Cape through support from the Global Environment Facility. These projects have restored degraded land, expanded indigenous tree planting, encouraged agroforestry practices and strengthened food security while creating temporary jobs and improving skills in rural communities.

Swarts also encouraged the Nqadu Kingdom to introduce community-based electronic waste collection and recycling projects. She said South Africa's national E-Waste Programme has already collected more than 108 tonnes of electronic waste and generated about R400,000 in community incentives, showing its potential to create green jobs while reducing environmental pollution.