Ema clears pastures ‘invader’ in Mat South

THE Environmental Management Agency (Ema) has cleared 1 500 hectares of alien invader specie, opuntia fulgida (jumping cholla), which is threatening the extinction of pastures in Matabeleland South Province where more than 500 cattle have died as a result of drought.

It is reported that the cattle died between October last year and January due to drought while 588 240 are also at the risk of dying in the province.

The shrub is a new invasive cactus species that is invading the semi-arid districts of Matabeleland where it is understood to have been introduced most likely as an ornamental plant by landscape garden enthusiasts.

It spreads mainly through vegetative propagation, when segments of the thorny cactus detach themselves from the main plant at the slightest contact and attach themselves to passing human, animal, bird and vehicular traffic (hence jumping cholla) and are carried to new areas.

The plant forms thick impregnable thickets that deny farmers and their animals access to grazing areas, water holes and crop fields, injure and kill domestic and wild animals.

In an interview on the sidelines of a tour of solid waste management facilities in Beitbridge town recently, Ema acting board chairperson, Mr Felix Moyo, said they had cleared 50 percent of the plant in the province with the assistance of researchers from local universities.

“We are left with close to 1 500 hectares and in some areas members of the community have taken up the initiative to completely eradicate it using methods that we introduced.

“The plant was threatening the existence of grazing lands and where Ema is actively present, we have completely eradicated the weed,” he said.

Mr Moyo said researchers from local universities were still assessing the veracity of their findings on the effects of the plant on livestock.

He said they had to reinvent eradication methods since some of them were affecting the existence of baobab trees.

“We are mobilising resources to ensure that we completely eradicate the weed from Matabeleland South in all the affected areas,” said Mr Moyo.

At the moment villagers in the affected areas are cutting the plant and burying the material deep before it spreads in the grazing lands.

Ema’s spokesperson for Matabeleland South, Mrs Sithembokuhle Moyo, said in a recent interview that another 767 hectares of grazing land was affected by another alien weed, lantana camara.

Lantana camara is a much-branched, upright, arching or scrambling shrub that usually grows 2-4m tall and forms dense thickets. It can occasionally grow like a vine (as a scandent shrub) due to its patterns of short branches and if there is support by other vegetation, in which case it can reach up to 15m in height.

She said Umzingwane, Matobo, Insiza, Bulilima and Mangwe were the worst affected districts.