The Sunday News
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Matabeleland South Bureau Chief
Khulu Cornellious Volunteer Sibanda (92) from Insiza, Matabeleland South Province, vividly recalls the day when a five-day search for lost cattle turned into a historical moment where he, just six years old at the time, and his age mates, came across a spectacle which is Mpompini wetland in 1937.
Khulu Sibanda said the wetland was located in an unsettled area and it had never been seen by community members from the nearest village. He said he and his age mates came across a large tract of land covered in water, during the dry season. While they were still trying to figure out what the place could be, one of Khulu Sibanda’s friends stuck a rod into the sand and water gushed out and sprung into the air. They named the wetland Mpompini, meaning that it was a place of abundant water. Khulu Sibanda said the wetland became the treasure of the community and villagers settled close by to benefit from it.
“The place where the wetland is located used to be out of bounds to the black people but when the whites relaxed their laws, we could access the area and that’s how we found the wetland. I had never seen such a place before. We were used to rivers, dams and streams but not such a place. This was a new water body to us. There were no homesteads nearby as the nearest village was about six kilometres away. When we found the wetland, the whole area around it was covered in trees and grass.
“The water was very clean and it had a pleasant taste. We rushed back home and informed our elders about what we had seen and they went to inspect,” he said.
Khulu Sibanda, said in 1938, people moved and settled closer to the wetland so that they could benefit from it. He said villagers established gardens where they produced vegetables, adding that there were a number of mines in the area and villagers made a lot of money from selling their vegetables to mine workers.
Khulu Sibanda said the lives of people greatly improved as a result of the wetland.
“Hunger became a thing of the past as the lives of people greatly improved as a result of the wetland. There was a good market for our vegetable products and almost everyone established a garden. Water challenges became a thing of the past as we now had access to drinking water throughout the year. A lot of people came in to settle in the area coming from other districts and a line system was introduced to settle villagers,” he said.
Khulu Sibanda said the Government of the time fenced off the wetland as the farming activities were now affecting the water supply. He said as time went on, people lost respect for the wetland and some vandalised the fence. He said the wetland slowly diminished.
“There were a lot of gardens and people started vandalising the fence to get water for their crops. Some collected water for various economic activities. This caused animals to stray into the wetland. People didn’t know that they could benefit from the wetland in a sustainable manner. Today the area around the wetland has fewer trees. The wetland has little water which is now muddy. We watched in despair as that spectacle we discovered in the 1930’s slowly perished,” he said.
The Environmental Management Agency has come in to revive the wetland in a bid to return it to its original form. A perimeter fence has been erected around the wetland in order to keep out animals. A one and a half hectare nutrition garden has been established which has become a source of livelihood for 100 households. The garden has an orchard and tree nursery. Works are underway to drill a solarised borehole which will supply the garden. EMA has also engaged in a drive to educate the community on sustainable use of the wetland.
In 2021, the Government developed the Zimbabwe National Wetlands master-plan to protect and preserve wetlands. These wetlands can be a reliable source of water in the face of climate change.
Climate change
EMA Matabeleland South Provincial Manager, Mr Decent Ndlovu said Government realised the need to put in place strategies to halt and reverse wetland loss and restore them to their original state.
Mr Ndlovu said other wetlands that will be rehabilitated in the province include Malilangombe, Mazvida and Ntunjambila wetland.
“We wish to see these wetlands go back to their original state and for future generations to find these wetlands still intact. There are laws which have been put in place by the Government not to oppress us but to protect these wetlands for our benefit. We shouldn’t develop any infrastructure on these wetlands or conduct any farming activities in the wetlands.
“At Mpompini, there were gardens that were established within the wetland which affected the water supply. There are sustainable ways in which we can benefit from wetlands without harming them. We have also drilled a borehole outside the wetland as we don’t want people going inside the wetland to collect water for their crops,” he said.
Mr Ndlovu, said a drip irrigation system will be installed in the garden.
The Zimbabwe National Wetlands Masterplan developed by Government in 2021, shows that 18 percent of the wetlands are in good condition, while 56 percent are moderately degraded and 26 percent are severely degraded, owing to unsustainable human induced activities which include infrastructure development, agriculture, drainage, the introduction of invasive alien species, deforestation, mineral extraction, solid and liquid waste disposal, freshwater diversion as well as climate change.
This year’s World Wetlands Day commemorations, which fall on February 2, were held under the theme “Wetlands for Sustainable Livelihoods”. The theme seeks to underpin the notion that wetlands are the ideal safety net for both the environment and human well-being, precisely amplifying the human livelihood nexus.
World Wetlands Day is commemorated to mark the signing of the Treaty on the Conservation of Wetlands, which was done on February 2, 1971, in Ramsar, Iran.
The treaty became popularly known as the Ramsar Convention and aims to raise public awareness on the conservation, proper utilisation and management of wetlands and their resources. The treaty seeks to stop the worldwide loss of wetlands and to conserve the remaining ones through their wise use and management. It should be clearly understood that the convention on wetlands does not ban their use but seeks to promote the wise use of these wetlands so that future generations also benefit from the same wetlands.
Wetlands remain one of the country’s vital ecosystems that have traditionally provided a wide range of ecological goods and services. Wetlands are known for their unique ability to trap carbon and provide natural flood control and are essential for maintaining water quality and regulating climate patterns.
Sustainable wetland management remains a deliberate and unavoidable way in ensuring wetlands continue to deliver goods and services in both best quantity and quality, to sustain biodiversity and life on earth.
The Environmental Management Act (Cap 20: 27) defines wetlands as ‘areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including riparian land adjacent to the wetland.’
Failure to protect wetlands is an offence, which attracts a level five fine up to a maximum level 10 (US$200 to US$700) or six months’ imprisonment. – @DubeMatutu.
