Correspondent|PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa today led commemorations for the National Tree Planting Day at the State House in Harare before leading a National Clean-Up campaign in the high density suburb of Highfields. The President and First Lady Auxullia planted and watered a tree at the State House.
Officially launching the National Clean Up Campaign under the theme: “Zero Tolerance to Littering, My Environment, My Pride” , the President said Government has designated 5 December as a day Zimbabweans promote tree planting and national cleaning.
President Mnangagwa read and signed the National Tree Planting Day declaration, urging Zimbabweans to look after the environment. Both Vice Presidents and several government officials attended. Harare Mayor Herbert Gomba also graced the clean-up campaign.
Every year a specific tree is declared Tree of The Year. This tree is chosen based on the criteria that it is indigenous to Zimbabwe, it has important food and/or medicinal properties, that it has potential to significantly contribute to the socio-economic well-being of the country and that Zimbabwe can generally benefit from the widespread propagation of the species. Some are identified because they are rare and can possibly become extinct.
“All those between the ages of 10 to 65 years, even those older, if still able, would be expected to clean up the environment on 5 December, annually,” said the President.
The first week of December each year holds National Tree Planting Day in Zimbabwe. This day was first set aside for tree planting in 1980, by former President Robert Mugabe, and has since been an important day in Zimbabwe’s environmental calendar.
December marks the beginning of the rainy season, when tree planting is most successful. The purpose of the day is to educate the nation about the importance of natural forest and woodland conservation, motivate people to plant and conserve trees, and finally, to create nation-wide food security.
President Mnangagwa today underscored that cleanliness should be a daily routine for both men and women, boys and girls.
Meanwhile, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa has been appointed the Patron and Ambassador of the National Clean Up Campaign. The campaign is aimed at eradicating littering, promoting cleanliness, recycling and waste management.
Speaking at the State House occasion, Environment and Tourism Minister Prisca Mupfumira said the Forestry Commission and the Environment Management Authority (EMA) are aggressively working on education and encouraging citizens to plant trees.
“Presently corporate partners have been assisting with funds and also embarking on individual corporate tree planting programmes,” she said.
Hon Mupfumira in said that 500 million trees have been planted since Independence in 1980, and about 60% survive.
Meanwhile, Government has authorised the Forestry Commission to handle 50% of the money collected from farmers under the tobacco levy for use in afforestation programs. The money had not been used since 2015 as the TIMB (Tobacco Industry and Marketing Board) had not been given the directive on how the funds will be disbursed to farmers.
In January 2015,Government introduced an afforestation levy on all tobacco farmers at a rate of 1,5% in the first year and 0,75% in subsequent years to finance regreening initiatives in the country.
The money, which had been ring-fenced for afforestation, was meant to be used for the establishment of 20 000 hectares of woodlots per year for the next five years.
Presenting the 2019 annual Budget recently, Minister of Finance and Economic Development Professor Mthuli Ncube said the administration of the tobacco levy by the TIMB had not served its intended purpose of financing conservation initiatives in the country.