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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
TRADITIONAL leaders in Tsholotsho will soon complement Tsholotsho Rural District Council in enforcing environmental by-laws to ensure sustainable management and use of natural resources in the wildlife rich district.
The inclusion of traditional leaders will enhance intervention measures as they are the custodians of communities and resources.

The Environmental Management Agency (Ema), Forestry Commission and council have been conducting training workshops for traditional leaders and other stakeholders including villagers.

The training included villagers, village heads, headmen and chiefs.

The initiative is being supported by Organisation of Rural Associations for Progress (Orap) through funding from World Wide Funding.

The exercise will result in a standardised management of natural resources at local level to help the community take responsibility of local endowments and capacitate traditional leaders with a template to deal with environment cases.
Tsholotsho RDC chairperson Councillor Esau Siwela said management of the environment requires cooperation of all stakeholders.

“This is a good initiative and we included traditional leaders because they are the custodians of the land and they are the ones presiding over people in communities. This will enhance cleanliness of the environment and observance of environment laws. We have by-laws and we are continuously updating and making life easier for ourselves and other stakeholders like the police,” said Clr Siwela.

Tsholotsho is rich in wildlife by virtue of being closer to Hwange National Park.
Speaking during the training for traditional leaders recently, Ema district environmental officer for Tsholotsho Ms Orpa Ruzawe said the environmental agency involves stakeholders in protecting the environment.

“The exercise started about five months ago with training of communities on environmental management.
We have trained village heads and headmen and now we are training chiefs on by-laws. It is the traditional leaders that help in enforcing by-laws hence this training,” she said.

The district expects to have a draft environmental by-law document by the end of next month.

Ms Ruzawe said capacitating communities will lead to the reduction in environmental offences at community level.

She commended the support of stakeholders particularly Orap in supporting the initiative which will   promote sustainable management of natural resources and protection of the environment.

A Forestry Commission representative said capacitating local communities will enhance a down-up approach in environmental                                                                                                     management.

Four Chiefs attended last week’s training workshop.

Chief Gampu said the training had capacitated traditional leaders to handle environmental cases at traditional courts.

“It will be easier to deal with environment cases and we will now be able to consult each other as we enforce the by-laws,” said Chief Gampu. — @ncubeleon