The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo Farming Reporter
THE Mpumelelo community in Nkayi district, Matabeleland North Province plans to turn a wetland in the area into a multi-purpose economic project which will support a number of programmes meant to uplift their lives. Mpumelelo’s Silver wetland’s weir is a source of water to more than 2 000 households drawn from five villages namely Mpumelelo, Zenka,Manduwe, Matshatshane and Sigodini.
It is also a drinking spot for about 3 500 cattle, 200 goats and 100 donkeys from the five villages.
However, the community is dreaming of turning the wetland not only into a source of drinking water but set up a vibrant horticulture, permaculture and fishery project as well as creating a wildlife sanctuary.
The agricultural projects are expected to improve food security and nutritional levels at households in communities while the wildlife sanctuary would generate income for the locals as a tourist attraction.
One of the wetland monitors and village head Mr Bernard Maphosa said the community became aware of the existence of the wetland in 1980 and in 1984 the villagers made efforts to protect it from being degraded due to trampling by livestock through barricading it using felled trees.
“In 2008 we used rocks to trap the water that was flowing downstream from the wetland creating a weir in the process but the pebbles were washed away by rains.
“In 2003 EMA (Environment Management Agency) gave us barbed wire and gum poles to fence off the area so as to ensure that it’s not destroyed,” Mr Maphosa said.
He said the community was working towards coming up with a number of income generating projects through sustainable use of the wetland.
“We are planning to establish a consolidated garden, in which we will crop mostly horticultural produce as well as venture into a fishery project through breeding fish at the weir.
“The other project we are looking forward to is bee keeping largely due to the presence of a variety of fauna in the area. Then in the long run we intend to have a wildlife sanctuary,” Mr Maphosa said.
Chief Sikhobokhobo said there were a number of wetlands in the district although most of them needed to be rehabilitated.
“There were many wetlands in this district but due to the increase in both human and animal populace most of them were degraded.
“We are calling on EMA to assist us in identifying those that need to rehabilitated as we have seen that sustainable use of these water sources can improve our livelihood,” he said.
Nkayi Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Zimbabwe Ndlovu said the presence of wetlands in communities played a big part in ensuring proper upkeep of livestock as well as improving food security at households.
“Livestock is a source of living for most people in this district and having wetlands will go a long way in improving the animals’ quality and better returns.
“There are also plans to set up a nutritional garden to be irrigated by water from the weir. This will go a long way because as a district we have had many cases of malnutrition, under weight and height thus all these will be dealt with,” Mr Ndlovu said.
