The R246-million spent on security upgrades to President Jacob Zuma's Nkandla homestead is a "betrayal" which environmental activist Kumi Naidoo has seen in many countries before. "Anybody in the leadership in the country that says this is the democracy that they wanted to create is lying. I was in that movement and part of what we had said was that we want greater economic equality. We said it had to be about sharing the resources in our country in a much more equitable way.""So the idea that about twenty million dollars can be spent on one rural homestead is shocking. It's indefensible. It cannot be accepted. And it’s a betrayal that we see in country after country…that those at the top of society and who are part of political leadership believe they have a God given right to live over consumptive lives," he said yesterday.The Greenpeace International's executive director explained that he had not been vocal on South African matters as he mostly acted on an international level."Because I am going to be home in three months time I decided to say something now so that the powers that be know that they can expect more of this," he said.Naidoo was speaking in Durban at the Civil Society Alternative Programme, a meeting of global civil society organisations in response to the 14th World Forestry Congress which is being held in Africa for the first time.The programme aims to highlight conserving indigenous forests for "the livelihoods of local communities, to promote biodiversity and mitigate climate change, as opposed to the false solution represented by the establishment of more tree plantations."Environmentalists have accused the World Forestry Congress of blurring the differences between real forests and tree plantations to support the timber industry.Naidoo yesterday said: "We need is a new knowledge economy moving away from the currently dominant emphasis on education towards careers in activities that destroy the forests whether it is mining, industrial agriculture, paper industry, international sports, travel and tourism towards jobs that promote long term sustainable livelihood choices using land in a much more ecologically sound manner."At the congress, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries minister Senzeni Zokwana said South Africa's tree planting efforts should be seen as part of redressing the inequalities of the past."On the one hand we have big cities like Johannesburg, which is regarded as having one of the largest man made forests through the extensive urban forests which were planted. On the other hand, at the dawn of democracy in South Africa, we found many of our townships, particularly our townships, characterized by barren, tree-less pieces of land." "We have since embarked upon a number of initiatives aimed at the greening of our townships through the efforts of government, NGO’s and corporate support."..