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Mollet Ndebele, Sunday News Reporter
THE Government has tasked the Forestry Commission and other stakeholders to lead in fruit tree production and to participate in various agro-forestry initiatives.
In a speech read on her behalf by Mrs Evelyn Chatikobo at Silwane Nature Reserve where Bulawayo was celebrating the National Tree Planting Day yesterday, the Minister of State for Bulawayo Provincial Affairs, Cde Judith Ncube, said planting trees was supposed to be everyone’s responsibility.
The event was held under the theme “fruit trees for food security and nutrition” and the tree that was chosen for this year is the Granite garcinia or Garcinia buchanani (Umkhemeswane in Ndebele, Mutunduru in Shona).
“The tree is not found in the southern parts of the country but in the Eastern Highlands of Manicaland spreading to some parts of Mashonaland Central. This tree can be used as an anti-septic for wounds, culturally and traditionally used as a relief for various ailments, anti-diarrhoeal remedy and many other things,” said Mrs Chatikobo.
Different companies attended the event including Forestry Commission, councillors, Delta Beverages, National Foods, Proton, Schweppes, PG Industries (Zimbabwe) who contributed immensely to the event.
PG Industries sales manager Belinda Ndlovu, representing the marketing director said they were pleased to be part of this initiative and contribute to carbon reduction.
“Tree planting is a call to action for all Zimbabweans to put their hands in the earth and give back to their community, PGIZ is motivated to plant and converse nature in the realisation of the importance of forest and woodland resource to mitigate climate change. We are calling on all Zimbabweans to rally behind Silwane Nature Reserve and Forestry Commission in conserving nature by planting trees,” said Ndlovu.
PG Industries put tiles in some of the shades at Silwane. The director, of Silwane Nature Reserve, Mr Sikhawuliso Sibanda said they took over the park four months ago from the city council to reconstruct the reserve.
“Before we came this place was called Umguza Nature Reserve, there was rapid depletion of natural resources, trees which were randomly cut by people living around the place. We came here to provide Bulawayo with their very own nature reserve and we thought it would be a great idea to acknowledge the beauty of this place,” said Mr Sibanda.
He said Silwane Nature Reserve is a subsidiary from Silwane Tours and Safaris and they got a lease from the Bulawayo City Council to manage it.
“We want to put infrastructure, introduce activities, bring more animals to the reserve and introduce the BOMA like the one in Victoria Falls so that we bring to the people of Bulawayo their own holiday destination,” said Mr Sibanda.
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