By Costain Shamu
The failure by our communities to find alternative uses of mupane tree has brought danger to the specie, slowly becoming extinct and surviving only in protected areas.
Exacerbated by continuous attacks and due to hunger, citizens have resorted to the environment for a source of living to eke a living while destroying natural resources.
So is the case in the lowveld area of Chiredzi, and other regions in Zimbabwe, the forest commission offices have gone unattended with no specific reason to what has caused the vacant but resulting to extinction.
Although a new District Forest Commission Officer, David Mandongwe was appointed this month, he is yet to adjust to his new surroundings and begin operations.
The environment, flora and fauna are natural God given resources which can’t do without the existence of the other.
In the Lowveld region it has become a daily routine to encounter loaded trucks, carts and wheelbarrows carrying firewood from the mupane trees, and some people even selling their loads besides the highway roads and even in the community.
The slow growing mupane which takes about 10 to 15 years to fully mature is being rampantly cut down due to its durability, resistance to termites, efficient energy source among other properties.
The society is using the trees for construction (scaffolds and poles for supporting houses and fences), as a fuel source, making charcoal not forgetting harvesting mupane worms, honey from tiny mopane bees (Nyunyu), twine from the bark fibre, leather tanning, the medicinal benefits just to mention but a few.
The Forest Commission provincial manager for Matebeland North, Bekezela Tshuma, said that the destruction of the mupane trees is inevitable since the communities are failing to afford alternatives but they have management plans to cater for some of these issues.
He also added that they encourage the communities to look after indigenous trees as they are very important to the society.
“One way or the other, destruction of the mupane tree is going to happen because most of our communities can not afford to buy alternatives but we have management plans to deal with such issues.”
“We encourage communities to look after indigenous trees as they are important to our society.”said Tshuma.
Chiredzi Residents Association, CHIRA Chairperson, who is also a herbalist, Jonathan Mpamombe told this publication that the mupane trees is a good food source and has great medicinal benefits.
“Apart from the mupane worms that it habits, the tree is very important because it is used to treat a number of wounds and aches.” said Mpamombe.
According to the researches, the bark extract can be a remedy for syphilis and flamed eyes while a deep red decoction of the bark is drunk to cure stomach pains.
The leaves and exudes from heated wood can also be used to heal wounds.
The colophospermum mopane is a deciduous tree that usually grows up to 12m and is only found in Africa mainly from the central region down to the south of the continent.
The drought tolerant mupane tree mainly thrives where there is little competition from deep rooting trees with moderate to low soil fertility and is vastly spread across mainly on the southern parts of the country.
The tree is well known of having mopani worms which also has sustained lives, as a source of income in the region and most in Matebeleland were there is also rampant cutting down of tree.
We appeal to EMA to enforce abd if possible increase its penalties of people found in possession of the tree to reduce the destruction of the natural resource
