Arbor Week at Century City: Planting for the Future, One Tree at a Time
National Arbor Week runs from 1 to 7 September every year, and this is the week South Africans set aside to plant indigenous trees and think seriously about what a greener, more sustainable future actually looks like.
At Century City, we’re marking it the best way we know how: by planting three indigenous trees: two in Bridgeways Precinct and one in Ratanga Park.
Why Arbor Week matters
Arbor Week has been part of South Africa’s calendar since 1999, run by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment as a call for government, business and communities to plant trees as a practical act of environmental care. It’s not just symbolic. Trees stabilise soil, cool urban spaces, support biodiversity and give people a reason to reconnect with the natural world around them, even in the middle of a busy urban precinct.
The Wild Olive: 2026's Tree of the Year
Each year, a small number of indigenous species are named Trees of the Year to raise awareness of their value and encourage people to plant them. For 2026, the Wild Olive (Olea europaea subsp. Africana) has been named the Common Tree of the Year by the Dendrological Society of South Africa, working from the Department’s approved list.
And it’s a fitting choice.: the Wild Olive is tough, drought resistant, frost resistant and can handle strong wind, which makes it one of the most resilient trees you can plant in South Africa. It grows into a dense, spreading tree with grey-green foliage, and its small fruit feeds everything from birds to baboons. Traditionally, its leaves have been used to make tea, its wood for furniture and fence posts, and its bark and fruit in various home remedies.
That resilience is really the point when we talk about sustainability at Century City. Choosing indigenous, water-wise, low-maintenance species over ornamental exotics is one of the simplest and most effective things any precinct or property can do. It means less irrigation, less strain on resources, and habitat that actually supports local birds and insects instead of working against them. Planting a Wild Olive isn’t a grand gesture but a quiet, practical decision that adds up over time, which is exactly the kind of sustainability thinking we want running through everything we do here.
The two other trees
Alongside the Wild Olive, we’ve planted two more indigenous species that suit Cape Town’s environment particularly well.
Waterberry (Syzygium guineense), also known as waterpear or woodland waterberry, is an evergreen tree that thrives in exactly the kind of moist, low-lying conditions found around the island’s wetlands and waterways. It has a rounded crown, glossy leaves and small fragrant flowers that draw pollinators, followed by edible purple fruit that birds and other wildlife make quick work of.
Fever Tree (Vachellia xanthophloea), previously known as Acacia xanthophloea, is instantly recognisable by its greenish-yellow bark. It naturally grows in swampy, low-lying areas near water, which is why it got its name in the first place. Early settlers thought the tree caused the fever they caught while travelling through these areas. It was actually the mosquitoes breeding in the same wet ground. The fever tree fixes nitrogen in the soil, offers good bee forage when it flowers, and its open, feathery canopy makes it a favourite nesting spot for birds.
Celebrating Arbor Week 2026: Indigenous trees and why they matter
Your Spekboom to take home
Arbor Week isn’t only about what we’re planting, we also want to make it easy for you to take a piece of it home.
Throughout Arbor Week, every paying client at Intaka Island will receive a spekboom plant in a compostable container (while stocks last).
Spekboom (Portulacaria afra) is one of South Africa’s most planted indigenous succulents for a reason: it’s hardy, needs very little water once established, and is easy to propagate from a simple cutting. Giving it away in a compostable container means there’s no plastic left behind once it’s planted out, just one more small, sustainable choice built into the gesture.
Watch our video and learn all about the importance of Spekboom
A Spring Night Hike to celebrate it all
Join Intaka Island for a guided Spring Night Hike on Friday 4 September 2026, and experience the wetlands as they come alive after hours.
Led by our passionate rangers, this special evening walk will celebrate the arrival of spring, exploring the seasonal changes taking place across Intaka Island. Discover the sights, sounds and scents of spring as plants bloom, birds become more active and the wetlands burst into new life. Under the glow of the full moon, you will learn about the importance of wetlands, the changing seasons and the incredible biodiversity that calls Intaka Island home.
This exciting hike under the stars is ideal for nature lovers, families, photographers and anyone curious to experience the island in a different light.
Come and welcome spring with an evening of fresh air, nature and discovery – and see Intaka Island in a whole new way.
Get your tickets here.
A precinct that plants for the long term
None of this changes the world in a week, small steps make a big impact.
Campaigns such as Arbor Week is a good reminder that sustainability at Century City isn’t a single project or a once-off initiative. It’s choosing indigenous trees that belong here, giving people the tools to green their own spaces, and treating Intaka Island as what it actually is: a working wetland reserve in the middle of a city, not just a backdrop.
Three trees, a few hundred spekboom cuttings, and a week set aside to bring attention to this very important aspect of not only our natural world, and the vital role trees and plants play in our existence.
