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Planting the roots of disaster resilience: Honouring Nelson Mandela Day through nature-based solutions

22 July 2025 | Story Nontobeko Nxumalo | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State’s (UFS) Centre for Disaster Management Training and Education Centre (DiMTEC) commemorated Nelson Mandela International Day on 18 July by planting trees that help embed nature-based solutions at the heart of disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

“It’s a simple act, yet deeply symbolic – a commitment to sustainability, climate resilience, and future generations,” said Dr Tlou Raphela-Masuku, a Senior Lecturer at DiMTEC. “Nature-based solutions, such as planting indigenous trees, are not just theoretical strategies; they are practical tools to reduce disaster risk, restore ecosystems, and build community resilience.”

One of the trees planted, the indigenous, resilient Wild Olive (Olea europaea subsp. africana), known locally as Mohlware, embodies the drive to place nature-based solutions at the forefront of disaster risk reduction. “This tree is drought-tolerant and well-adapted to Bloemfontein’s semi-arid climate,” Dr Raphela-Masuku explained. “It stabilises soil, prevents erosion, supports biodiversity, and cools urban spaces. Its thick canopy shelters birds and small mammals, while its deep roots nourish and protect the earth. In a warming world, every Wild Olive planted is a small act of resistance against climate change.”

Collaborative programme

Dr Raphela-Masuku said the tree-planting programme, a collaboration with UFS Protection Services and University Estates, ties directly into the principles the centre teaches in its Master's of Disaster Management module Ecosystem-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (ECO-DRR).

“From the viewpoint of the African Union’s Science and Technology Advisory Group, it is befitting that as part of the work dedicated to disaster risk reduction initiatives in the African continent, this day is a reminder that we promote community service, resilience and social justice in the ‘Africa we want’. Furthermore, Mandela Day activities align with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR)’s priorities of understanding risks and strengthening disaster governance at all levels,” remarked Prof Alice Ncube, an Associate Professor at DiMTEC.

She added that, “In a city like Bloemfontein, which is not exempt from drought accelerating frequently and temperatures rising yearly, choosing to plant climate-resilient, indigenous species isn’t merely wise, it’s necessary. Trees like the Wild Olive don’t just provide shade and beauty; they help cool urban environments, support biodiversity, and protect our university community from floods and storms. They represent a forward-thinking investment in a sustainable, climate-adapted future. Mandela Day reminds us that service should be continuous, not confined to a single day. A tree planted today will outlive us, offering shade, shelter, and hope to those who come after. As Mandela himself said, ‘The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.’”

Commitment to change

Mandela Day also fits in with the UFS’ Vision 130 strategic intent. It is a day that reminds us that everyone has the power to make a difference. In the spirit of Madiba’s legacy, we can commit to fostering social justice, human dignity, and sustainable development through academic excellence and meaningful community engagement. In the face of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation, each seed we plant becomes an act of defiance as well as an act of hope.

Prof Samuel Adelabu, Vice-Dean: Postgraduate and Research in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, applauded the team’s efforts. “We are planting trees that represent sustainability, things that can stay for long. I believe we are all practising sustainability in this initiative we are doing today to show that the university, as well as the faculties, are in line with sustainability.”

News Archive

UFS sets trend for higher education institutions

2005-09-21

The University of the Free State (UFS) offers more service-learning courses than any other higher education institution in the country and has the highest number of students enrolled for these service-learning courses.

This was the research findings on higher education institutions conducted between 2001 and 2004 by the Joint Education Trust (JET) into service-learning courses. These are courses which seek to integrate service to the community into the academic core of higher education institutions.

The results of this research indicated that the UFS is one of the few higher education institutions in South Africa that have made progress in integrating community engagement into the mainstream academy.

According to the findings 2 233 students at the UFS participated in service-learning courses supported by JET, while 858 students at the University of Transkei (UNITRA), 636 students at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) and only 600 students at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) participated in service-learning courses.

In total there were 6 930 students participating in service learning courses supported by the JET at 10 institutions throughout the country.

The research also found that out of a total of 182 service-learning courses supported by JET countrywide, the UFS had the highest number of such courses at 42, followed by WITS with 28, the University of Kwazulu Natal with 26, UWC 24 and UNITRA with 22.

Nationally, most of the service-learning courses at higher education institutions are offered in the human sciences (62), followed by health sciences (37), education (26), agriculture (14), and economic sciences (11).

According to leading academics, service-learning is a credit-bearing, educational exercise in which students participate in an organised service activity that meets identified community needs and helps the student to gain a deeper understanding of course content and a sense of civic responsibility.

Reacting to the research findings, the Rector and Vice-chancellor of the UFS, Prof Frederick Fourie, said the university feels strongly that there should be integration of service-learning into the academic core of the institution.

“Through service-learning modules the UFS can give expression to its role of service to the community as an institution of higher learning, producing quality graduates who understand the communities in which they will have to function for the rest of their lives,” Prof Fourie said.

According to Mr Jo Lazarus, the project manager of the Community-Higher Education – Service Partnership (CHESP), which falls under the JET, a number of institutions have identified community engagement as a strategic priority and have allocated significant resources from their central budget towards its implementation.

Mr Lazarus said most students have an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards service learning.

“A large percentage of students surveyed indicated that their service-learning course helped to improve their relationship skills, leadership skills and project planning abilities. As significant is the fact that these courses also benefited them in terms of their awareness of cultural differences and opened their eyes about their own cultural stereotypes,” said Mr Lazarus.

“The key challenge still hampering the integration of service-learning as a core function of academic activity is that some institutions still see service-learning as an add-on, and nice-to-have activity,” he said.

According to Mr Lazarus higher education must demonstrate social responsibility and commitment to the common good by making available expertise and infrastructure for service-learning as a form of community engagement.

Media release
Issued by:  Lacea Loader
   Media Representative
   Tel: (051) 401-2584
   Cell: 083 645 2454
   E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
   20 September 2005

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