Three Jacket-Plum trees (Pappea capensis) were planted by, respectively, a first-year student, Ms Urooge Haq, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof Cheryl de la Rey and Mr Willie Spies, chairperson of the TuksAlumni Board. Ms Haq will be studying Medicine at UP.  

This custom to plant a tree during Welcoming Day on behalf of the class of the respective year originated in 2001. The first-year student represents the year group while the tree stands as symbol of this group who will become alumni themselves in years to come. 

 Trees planted since 2001 include a River Bush Willow, a Cheesewood, a Red Currant, a Mountain Seringa, a Baobab, a Wild Pomegranate, a Common Wild Currant, a Bladder-nut, a Tree Fuchsia and a Common Rothmannia. Past students who, as new first-year students, took part in this ceremony were the late Rizqa Carrim (2001); Christa-Louié van Heerden (2002); Ingeborg Steinmann (2003); Tshepo Moila (2004), Dewald de Beer (2005), Atli Phatudi (2006), Jaco Jordaan (2007), Molatelo Thebe (2008), Tarryn Thomas (2009) and Nkamogeleng Mahlaela
(2010). 


 

Ms Urooge Hag, a first-year student in Medicine, took part in the customary tree planting ceremony on Welcoming Day.