…offers to lead massive reforestation to restore green beauty
Anesushe Mamhute
Trees for Harare has strongly protested against what it regards as the unnecessary destruction of trees in Greendale to make way for the construction of overhead power lines.
The advocacy group has filed a complaint with City of Harare and the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC), criticising the cutting down of hundreds of trees apparently to facilitate the replacement of old underground power cabling with 33kv overhead lines.
Trees for Harare argues that the move has resulted in excessive logging of elegant trees that otherwise pose no risk to infrastructure or human safety.
The complaints were communicated in a letter dated September 19, 2024, and addressed to City of Harare Town Clerk, and to ZETDC Harare region.
In the letter, Trees for Harare leader Vivienne Croisette stresses that the cutting down of trees had devastated the suburb.
“The massacre of both indigenous and exotic trees, numbering between 2 – 300, is a devastation to our area. We are also reporting Rhodesville Avenue’s trees being cut too, for no apparent reason. Overhead lines are already in place, and some of these trees caused no risk but were cut to the ground too,” reads part of the letter.
She goes on to complain that the value of property in parts of the suburb have plummeted because the trees, that constitute a critical aesthetic aspect of the natural environment, had been destroyed.
“One of the reasons why we live in this area is because of the beautiful treed avenues of Greendale. Indeed, Greendale was named appropriately for this. For residents living in Coronation Avenue, this has reduced the price of their property as the street now looks ugly. We are left with one side of Coronation Avenue being completely denuded of all life forms and trees,” the letter further reads.
The group offered to lead a reforestation drive this coming rainy season.
“As a solution to this, we are asking for the heights of the cables so we may do a mass replanting of the street this coming rainy season. We will provide the trees and manpower to regreen this street.”
