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Tendai Rupapa Senior Reporter
ENVIRONMENT patron First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa yesterday led Mashonaland Central Province in planting over 2 000 gum and Musekesa (Monkey Bread) trees, amid an open admission by traditional leaders, miners and villagers that forests had been depleted by the indiscriminate cutting down of trees with no efforts to replenish them.
Mashonaland Central was the mother of the nation’s second stop after Mashonaland West where she together with villagers also planted thousands of trees as she promotes afforestation to mitigate the effects of climate change and curb erosion.
She is taking the tree planting programme to all the country’s 10 provinces.
The country is grappling with the challenges of deforestation where people are cutting down trees without replacing them, thereby disrupting the ecosystem and promoting erosion, among many other environmental challenges.
This also removed the natural habitat for wildlife.
Yesterday, Amai Mnangagwa emphasised that the planting of trees was not for farmers alone, but for everyone countrywide, hence her mission to take the programme to all the country’s provinces.
She also held an interactive session with the people.
“Of what importance are trees to us?” the First Lady asked.
In response, the crowd said trees provided oxygen for breathing, firewood, foliage for manure, shade, medicine, windbreak and help reduce soil erosion among other advantages.
An elderly man drew laughter from the crowd when he failed to fully explain how trees aided in the formation of rainfall.
“We do not breathe all the oxygen from trees as some of it inosara pano pasi while imwe yacho is taken high up to form rainfall,” he said, much to the joy of the people.
During the interaction, some villagers voiced concerns that some people in Chiweshe were illegally parcelling out State land for residential and farming purposes hence forests being destroyed with the indiscriminate cutting down of trees.
In response, the First Lady said to be fair and for people to ensure sound environmental management practices were followed, there was need for investigations so that perpetrators are brought to book.
Amai Mnangagwa said it was difficult to separate trees from the lives of people.
“Have you ever pondered as to what would happen if there were no trees? People, mostly those in communal areas sustain themselves through trees and they cannot live without them. We must appreciate that trees can survive in our absence which shows how important they are to our livelihood. As such, we must recognise the importance of trees by working together to protect them and plant more as we are doing here today,” she said.
The First Lady said the tree of the Year for 2022 was Musekesa (Monkey Bread) which was of great importance to communities.
“This tree has many uses. Its fresh leaves and flowers can be chewed if someone is thirsty while the bark cures stomach problems and other ailments. The fruits are eaten while the smaller fruits can be mixed with other feeds for cattle. This gives our cattle high milk production efficiency. There is great evidence than the tree is used to cure many ailments in countries across Africa. The fruits are eaten by people and livestock and in some countries they make porridge from the tree’s fruits,” she said.
Raw fruits of the Musekesa tree, the First Lady said, can be used as bathing soap.
“The Monkey Bread powder can be used for cooking okra and many other foods. The tree also provides good shade in summer. I leave you a challenge here in Mashonaland Central Province to plant trees which give us fruits, firewood for curing tobacco and those that produce flowers so that you can keep bees,” she said.
Amai Mnangagwa said the Government, through the Forestry Commission, was giving out tree seedlings free of charge so that there can be early maturing trees for curing tobacco in the near future.
She implored tobacco growers to approach the Forestry Commission so they can be given trees to plant.
On Covid-19, Amai Mnangagwa advised people on the need to observe World Health Organisation (WHO) protocols of masking up, washing hands and observing social distancing to keep the virus at bay.
As the country’s health ambassador, she implored people to get vaccinated and get booster shots.
She also spoke candidly against domestic violence, drug abuse among youths and child marriages.
The mother of the nation whose programmes are non-partisan urged communities to unite and love one another for the development of the country.
“As Zimbabweans we are one family and therefore we must love one another so that our country develops. Let us not allow politics or elections to separate us because they come and go. Love and unity are supreme. As communities, as a nation, let us work together in harmony,” she said.
Forestry Commission general manager Mr Abednico Marufu said they were working closely with the First Lady to roll out a massive afforestation programme.
“The First Lady wants the nation to restore our degraded forests and fight deforestation. With the First Lady’s lead, we want to go to all the 10 provinces with the tree planting programme which was started by President Mnangagwa on National Tree Planting Day in Mberengwa last year,” he said.
Mr Marufu said his commission targeted to plant over 25 million trees, exceeding the 15 million that were planted last year.
“So we are urging our community leaders to embrace Amai’s teachings and plant more trees within their communities. We urge tobacco growers to participate in tree-planting in a big way for tobacco curing. We are about 15 million people in the country and if each one of us were to plant just 2 trees, we will beat that small target. Let’s join hands as a nation and protect our trees and forests because trees are life, let’s conserve them,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Environment, Climate and Hospitality Industry Barbra Rwodzi thanked the First Lady for her vision and urged the nation to join hands in planting trees.
Mr Godwin Zambara Makope, who is Chief Makope, decried the depletion of forests in his area of jurisdiction and the nation at large.
“What the First Lady has done is a wake up call for us to preserve the forests. As Chiefs we shall take measures against those who destroy forests as a way of safeguarding our heritage because we are the custodians of these things. There is life in trees. That is where we get our livelihoods. If you fall sick you look for the roots of the Muhacha tree and many other tree species which we are destroying. Trees take long to grow therefore it is imperative to grow trees and replace those we would have cut. What the First Lady has taught us is critical hence we need to embrace her teachings. Chokwadi masango apera rangove gwenga,” he said.
Chief Makope said people who destroy the forests must be punished severely so that the younger generation inherits a well resourced country.
Reinforcing the message, Mr Clifford Makuwa, who is Headman Makuwa, said he was charmed by the First Lady’s words of encouragement and the need to protect the environment.
“As farmers we were cutting down trees without replacing them. With the visit by the First Lady and her advice we are going to teach others back home to plant trees. Trees give us firewood and energy to cure our tobacco. We are also going to approach the Forestry Commission for trees to plant as encouraged by Amai,” he said.
The headman’s views were shared by Mrs Benhilda Zambara, who is Chief Makope’s wife.
“Trees are good in our lives but we human beings are not making the situation any better for ourselves by cutting them down and not replacing them. The First Lady’s advice was good that we should replace the trees that we cut down. Let us stop cutting down trees as we were doing. If you cut down a tree, it will take a long time for that tree to grow again. Let us remember to plant trees wherever we will be even at our homesteads,” she said.
Mrs Makope said the country was now full of gullies because there was nothing to bind the soil anymore. She said as the Chief’s wife she will go round her community advising people to plant trees because of the many benefits they have.
Youthful Mr Shakeman Mabharani, an artisanal miner, said he fully embraced the First Lady’s intervention on the need for environmental conservation.
“Where I work there is massive destruction of trees as we do timbering and we venture into the forests to cut down trees. Through this programme that is being led by the First Lady, we have learnt that as artisanal miners we must also replenish the trees we would have cut down because there are many benefits we derive from the trees as has been highlighted by Amai. When we go back to the mines, we shall participate in replanting trees and save ourselves the effects of climate change,” he said.
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