Staff Reporter
Traditional leaders in Kwekwe district have called for stronger measures to protect the environment, as deforestation, unregulated mining activities, and stream bank cultivation continue to threaten the local ecosystems.
The urgent plea was made during a recent full council meeting, held at Zibagwe Rural District Council (RDC), last Tuesday.
Chief Gwesela of Zhombe and Chief Malisa of Silobela raised concerns over the ongoing environmental destruction in their respective areas. Both leaders emphasised the need for specific by-laws that would safeguard forests and rivers from further damage.
Chief Gwesela expressed concern about the daily destruction of trees and the harmful practice of farming along riverbanks and streams.
“As custodians of the land, we are responsible for its preservation. Our environment is being destroyed before our eyes, and this threatens future generations. If we don’t act now, it will be too late,” he said.
Chief Malisa noted the necessity of ward-based environmental committees to help monitor and enforce environmental preservation efforts.
"We have the Traditional Leaders Act, which gives us the authority to safeguard our environment, but we need proper by-laws in place to hold violators accountable," Chief Malisa said.
Zibagwe RDC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), FarayiMachaya, acknowledged the severity of the situation and assured that measures were being taken to address the challenges. He revealed that the council was working on establishing trained ward environment officers who would be stationed in all wards to help manage and protect the district’s natural resources.
“The widespread issues of stream bank cultivation, deforestation, charcoal making, and illegal wildlife poaching have left us with no choice but to intensify our efforts. This year, we have approved the training of ward environment officers, who will play a critical role in monitoring these activities,” Machaya said.
Machaya also disclosed that the council had drafted 39 by-laws aimed at tackling these environmental issues, though they are awaiting approval and registration.
“Currently, we cannot register new by-laws, so we are making use of the existing ones while awaiting approval for the new ones,” he added.
The traditional leaders and local government officials are united in their push to take action before the environmental damage becomes irreversible, underscoring the urgency of both legal and community-based solutions.
