The Riky Rick Foundation will launch a living memorial forest in the Eastern Free State, creating a permanent space for healing, environmental restoration and remembrance.
Instead of bronze statues or granite monuments, the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism, together with the Naledi Village Communal Property Association and Rustlers Valley Regenerative Farm and Eco-Tourism, is creating a living forest where every tree planted represents hope, healing and new beginnings.
The Riky Rick/Anton Chaka Memorial Forest will officially launch on 18 and 19 July 2026 at Rustlers Valley in the Eastern Free State, establishing what organisers hope will become one of South Africa’s most meaningful spaces for remembrance, environmental restoration and mental wellbeing.
Rather than commemorating lives through traditional memorials, the initiative invites South Africans to honour Riky Rick (Rikhado Makhado) and Anton Chaka by planting trees that will continue growing for generations.
The project combines environmental conservation with emotional healing, recognising that green spaces can become powerful places of reflection, connection and hope.
Visitors attending the inaugural event will participate in memorial tree planting, healing circles, storytelling sessions, earth connection experiences and ceremonial moments designed to reconnect people with nature and one another.
For the Riky Rick Foundation, the memorial represents an extension of Riky Rick’s lifelong belief in uplifting others.
“Riky believed deeply in people,” says Louisa Zondo, Executive Director of the Riky Rick Foundation for the Promotion of Artivism.
“His greatest gift was making others feel seen, heard and worthy of their dreams. The Memorial Forest is an extension of that belief. Every tree planted becomes a symbol of hope, renewal and the reminder that even after loss, life continues to grow.”
The Foundation believes the project arrives at an important moment as South Africa continues confronting growing mental health challenges, particularly among young people.
By creating a permanent natural space dedicated to healing and reflection, organisers hope communities will find a place where grief can be transformed into growth while conversations around mental wellbeing become more open and accessible.
The initiative also honours the contribution of Anton Chaka, while recognising the legacy of Frik Grobelaar, whose work at Rustlers Valley during the early 1980s helped establish Naledi Village and supported community development across the region.
Located within Rustlers Valley, a destination recognised for regenerative farming and ecological conservation, the forest reflects a growing international movement using trees and natural landscapes as living memorials that continue giving back to communities long into the future.
As the forest expands over time, organisers envision it becoming a destination for annual commemorations, educational programmes, environmental restoration projects, youth initiatives and cultural storytelling.
More than simply remembering two influential lives, the Memorial Forest seeks to demonstrate how legacy can create lasting social and environmental impact.
Every tree planted will stand as a living reminder that healing is possible, communities can grow stronger together and the greatest memorials are sometimes those that continue giving life.
