Thabelo "Tbos" Makwarela celebrated his 33rd birthday by encouraging his family and friends to forget traditional gifts and money transfers.

Instead Makwarela, a passionate environmental activist, requested that they join him in planting trees as a contribution to curbing global warming.

Makwarela's mission to make a contribution to saving the planet from the effects of climate change led him to plant 33 trees in various locations around the country.

On his birthday, 17 May, Makwarela kicked off his tree-planting campaign at Vukuhambe Special School in East London where he spent time with students, talking about the importance and beauty of planting trees.

The inspiration for his initiative came from the national Ten Million Trees programme initiated by Cyril Ramaphosa in 2021. The project aims to plant 10 million trees in residential areas over a five-year period.

"I wanted to lead by example and hopefully inspire others to do their fair share," Makwarela said. He has focused on planting fruit trees, recognising their contribution to food security.

"The trees have been planted in Marikana in the North West Province, Gauteng, and parts of Limpopo," Makwarela said.

"I plan to expand the initiative to other African countries, advocating for greater involvement from both government and corporations."

He said he believed government could do more to tackle global warming.

"Fuel and mining companies should take responsibility by committing to planting more trees," he said.

He also suggested creating a law that would require citizens to plant trees upon purchasing a car or when welcoming a new child into the world.