Orchard of life?…Man dies after land developer chops down trees

. Nokuthula Mavuwa
HEARTBREAK hotel!

An elderly man is said to have collapsed to his death after land developers who purchased a piece of land, which he had for long used as his orchard, cut down his fruit trees.

The land was being cleared for the construction of Cana Primary School owned by Victor Moyo in Pumula suburb.

Naison Simango (87) an arborist had adopted more than a hectare of land in front of his yard for years where he grew various fruit trees such as mangoes, guavas and peaches. The trees benefited the whole community and he was famed with creating aa�?Garden of Eden.a�?

a�?Simango was known in this community for his love for trees and plants he grew just in front of his yard. It was more than a hobby but his life. He spent most of his time nurturing the trees and that became a source of fruits for the entire communitya�?, said a resident Johannes Dube.

Simangoa��s son, Bornbright Sithole said the destruction of the garden took his fathera��s soul for good.

a�?He was so attached to those trees so much that when he saw them being cut down it killed him. The owners of land did not give him any notice of their intent and hence it became a big blow,a�? said Sithole.

His daughter who came from South Africa for the burial broke down during an interview with B-Metro thereby failing to speak.

It turned out the land Simango had adopted had been cleared to open way for the building of a private primary school in the area. The school is to be named Cana Primary School.

Moyo, who owns the development project, was shocked.

a�?I was not aware the old man had died and was so attached to that piece of land, this really breaks my heart. I will definitely go and see the family. I even went to the funeral and contributed something unaware he had been affected by the development. I just went there as he was a neighbour to the school,a�? said Moyo.