Deputy Minister Singh to hand over the Summerfield and Rondedraai plantations in the Kwazulu‑Natal Province

23 April 2025

The Deputy Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), Mr Narend Singh, will lead the handing‑over ceremony of the Summerfield and Rondedraai plantations on 25 April 2025 in the Harry Gwala District Municipality, in uMziMkhulu, KwaZulu‑Natal.

The day's programme will feature a plantation tour, ceremonial tree planting and the official hand‑over of the signed community forestry agreements (CFAs). These eucalyptus plantations form part of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment's broader drive to transfer category B and C plantations to local communities. 

The department is concluding a further eight CFAs this year building on the 29 agreements already signed in the Eastern Cape, Limpopo and KwaZulu‑Natal.

This initiative aligns with the key deliverables of the Forestry Master Plan and represents a significant step toward community empowerment and sector inclusivity.

Training for beneficiary communities will commence in the 2025/26 financial year, with an initial cohort of 541 participants receiving skills development support.

Members of the media are invited to attend the events as follows:

1. Plantation tour and tree planting

Date: Friday, 25 April 2025
Time: 10h00 
Venue: Summerfield Plantation, UmziMkhulu Local Municipality

2. Official plantation hand-over event

Time: 11h00 
Venue: Bombo Community Hall, Summerfield, UmziMkhulu Local Municipality

To RSVP, please contact:

Paul Sigutya 
Tel:+27 72 921 4457 
E-mail: psigutya@dffe.gov.za or

Kagiso Letsebe
Tel:+27 83 439 9755 
E-mail: kletsebe@dffe.gov.za

For media enquiries, please contact:

Peter Mbelengwa
Tel:+27 82 611 8197