Petition launched to declare jacaranda trees as heritage site

The heritage authority believes the trees do not have heritage value due to their South America’s origin.

The federation’s spokesperson, Gerhard Pretorius, said that while jacaranda trees do hail from South America, their introduction to South Africa dates back to 1885. 

“Pretoria is known as the Jacaranda City. This should already be an indication of the intrinsic heritage value of these trees if the capital of the country got its beloved name from this. In Gauteng, there are around 65,000 trees in the Jacaranda City, Pretoria, and 70,000 in the City of Gold, Johannesburg.”

Pretorius told Jacaranda FM News that an appeal was already filed against this decision in 2022. 

However, nothing came of this.

“The initial application, even though the Tshwane Metro Council supported the request, was initially turned down,” Pretorius said. 

The association has now launched a petition in support of its appeal application.

“We urge everyone to sign the petition so that our natural heritage can also be recognised for the heritage and tourism value that jacaranda trees add, not only in Pretoria but in the whole of Gauteng,” Pretorius said, pointing out that the purple trees also contribute to the province’s tourism industry.

“There are almost 2.6 million international tourists who visited Gauteng in the 2022/2023 financial year. During this past week, I saw how tourists stopped in the streets of Pretoria to take pictures of our streets with the beautiful purple blanket. There is a lot of added value in giving jacaranda trees heritage status.”

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