MARONDERA- Chief Seke recently walked away with a new ox-drawn plough after
scooping the first prize for best tree caregiver.
Speaking at the Hochekoche naSahwira Cultural Night held at Chief Nechombo's
Culture Village in Makaha, Mudzi district, the branch manager of Nyaradzo
Marondera, Pauline Mnjanja said after launching a Nhaka Muchero programme two
years ago at Chief Chivese’s homested in Chikomba district, the initiative later
spread its wings.
From then on, each of the 34 chiefs in the province were recipients of at least a 100
fruit trees that were to be planted at their homesteads.
"After launching the Nhaka/Muchero programme in Chikomba district, we then
moved around the province planting at least 100 fruit trees at each and every Chief's
homestead. From then onwards, we resolved that after every year and with the
assistance of environmental stewards from the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe,
Agritex and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), we would go back to
assess the progress in the way in which chiefs were taking care of the trees that we
would have donated,”
Mnjanja was happy with the outcome of the assessment report by the environmental
technocrats, saying it reflected the tireless efforts being made by traditional leaders
to ensure a sound keeping of the environment.
Environmental Management Agency (EMA) representative on the day Edmore
Bowore said after conducting an assessment in collaboration with their Forestry
Commission counterparts, he hailed the traditional Chiefs for the efforts they are
exerting to ensure the flourishment of the trees in their orchards.
"Allow me to thank Chiefs in this province for the efforts they are making to ensure
the smooth growth of fruit trees. This has obviously been reflected when we moved
around assessing how fruit trees have been taken care of here.
“However, as we have been moving around, as an EMA point person, I noted a few
grey areas which need to be polished, that is fencing the orchards, construction of
fire guards as well as the maintenance of proper water basins to ensure that their
trees grow exceptionally well.
In an interview on the sidelines of the tour, Chief Seke applauded the Government’s
efforts which led to the recognition of and the putting up of the orchard in his territory,
He said: “Trees have been, and will always been vital for the upkeep of each and
every one of our subjects’ homesteads. This is a vital concept in our day to day lives.
If trees, either natural or otherwise and if taken good care of, will be there and will be
useful for generations to come.”
