Trees are the oldest and largest living beings on earth.

Another beautiful tree has been destroyed to make space for a giant billboard right in the middle of the residential area of Klein Windhoek along Nelson Mandela Avenue between Metje and von Eckenbrecher Streets.

The billboard carries adverts for a tobacco company (Marlborough) and for Nedbank.

The same advertising company cut down a protected and endemic Maerua schinzii last year along Robert Mugabe Ave. (see picture).

Trees purify the air!

Tobacco pollutes and is harmful to peoples‘ health. The money spent on such giant adverts should rather be donated to research into lung cancer and other diseases caused by smoking.

Banks in Namibia charge the highest rates on the continent of Africa. If they would stop expensive and environmentally damaging advertising and lower their service charges instead, they would certainly attract more customers and improve the economy of Namibia.

The members of the Botanical Society of Namibia, The Wildlife Society of Namibia and Earthlife Namibia and indeed members of the general public as well value the few open spaces that are left amongst the residential areas of our city - such as the banks of the Klein Windhoek River. We strongly oppose large billboards in residential areas - we request the Municipality to immediately put a stop to the erection of billboards and to the wanton cutting down of trees all over town.