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Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
AN adventurous group of 100 Zanu-PF youths who set off on a tree planting march from Harare were on cloud nine yesterday when they arrived to a heroes’ welcome in Victoria Falls after completing a seven-day tree planting walkathon spanning about 900km. The group arrived at Mosi-oa-Tunya High School in the afternoon and planted 50 trees at the school.
They set the tone for the National Tree Planting where President Robert Mugabe is expected to plant a tree at Baobab Primary School on Thursday as he arrives for the Zanu-PF Annual National People’s Conference.
The group left Harare after planting some trees along Herbert Chitepo Street and others in every town along the way. Speaking to The Chronicle soon after arrival, the team leader, Cde Stewart Mutizwa, who is the director of Environment and Tourism at Zanu-PF headquarters, said completing the “long march” was a mission accomplished. “Finally we’re here. The journey was a good experience. We’re used to walking as environmentalists with a passion,” said Cde Mutizwa.
He said the main idea of the walk was to support the national Tree Planting done by the President. “We do this every year and this time we decided to plant trees all the way from Harare to Victoria Falls. It was a long tiring journey but we managed to arrive safely,” he said.
Yesterday they left Hwange in the morning and arrived in Victoria Falls around 4PM. The motto for this year’s tree planting is Isihlahla namhla, igusu kusasa in IsiNdebele. Unti nasi ishanga mangwana (Nambya) and Musamu sunu lusaka junza in Tonga meaning a tree today, a forest tomorrow. The tree of the year is Vangueriain fausta, commonly known in English as velvet wild medlar or African medlar and umviyo in IsiNdebele.
The fruit provides valuable nutrition for humans, wild animals and livestock and contains significant amounts of vitamin C, sodium, calcium and magnesium as well as carbohydrates and protein. The fruit can be eaten when ripe straight from the tree and it can also be dried for consumption in times of food scarcity.
Meanwhile, it’s all systems go for the conference where 10 schools have been prepared to accommodate hundreds of delegates with bedding and ablution facilities set while workmen have been busy cleaning the venue. The Information and Publicity sub-committee yesterday erected banners and billboards across the town and along major roads bearing messages about the conference.
Delegates are expected to arrive in Victoria Falls on Thursday following Politburo and Central Committee meetings in Harare yesterday and tomorrow. The theme for the conference is “Consolidating people’s power through Zim-Asset.”
Online Reporter