by Maxwell Chivasa
The Manjinji Sanctuary Pan at Mabalauta is an “island of water” in the dry part of southern Zimbabwe that has been an important protected area for the local community of Mwenezi.
For the locals, the pan is a gift from the ancestors. Although there is a geographic explanation to the
origins of the pan, indigenous knowledge here strongly links the availability of water with the mood of ancestral spirits.
The chief spirit medium, widely believed in the area to be looking after the sanctuary pan, is that of a long past local traditional leader, Sibalaboyi Mazoche, who lived and died here. His grave is near the pan.
Geographically, this is an ox-bow lake cut-off from the now much distanced Mwenezi River. This was the deepest bend of the river, and it was very rich with aquatic life.
Although this physical change of the river actually happened years ago, the belief among the locals
sidelines any geographical reasoning preferring respect for the ancestors who “give us dew”, according to a local leader.
There was a time government wanted to develop the place and perhaps conserve more water in the early 1960s, but the plan fell through as the pan almost dried up. The locals were upset and blamed the “strangers”, that is the government officials, for the lack of respect and consequently having tampered with their “ancestral water source”. Indigenous knowledge is best, foreign experts are always advised in many development projects. ·
People, their livestock, and wildlife, suffered as a result of the water shortage. Even the good rains that came afterwards did not fill up the pan, says a local leader, Albert Ndlovu. If the traditional beliefs are anything to go by, they have helped in enhancing conservation of this water-point for many kilometres.
Fresh traditional ceremonies were organised to appease the upset spirit to restore the water. A black goat is slaughtered at such ceremonies in line with traditional celebrations. Then things would change for the better. Water would gradually fill up the pan, and this is still happening.
The locals realize that no one should disturb nature. Let nature take care of itself, they say. The local community also feels that this pan should be run under the Communal Area Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE).
CAMPFIRE is a programme for local communities under which they use natural resources sustainably. This includes wildlife. The Manjinji Pan, with its thrust towards inheritance of a gift from the ancestors, more than qualifies as an indigenous project in many ways.
Those who do not believe in ancestors brush aside this view but they will not have access to the local community who value this fact. The secretary of the CAMPFIRE in the area, Ndlovu, foresees a great future in the project. And who can better manage it than the locals?
“For us, this is a sacred place in honour of our traditional leader Mazoche. That is why trees here have not been cut and the pan never dries up, even in years of drought,” says Ndlovu.
A number of proposed developmental projects are expected to spring up around this only water-hole, according to Ndlovu. One such project being considered is opening up the area for a tourist resort.
An expert on tourism and natural resources has been looking at the possibility of setting up a viable tourism project taking advantage of the nearby Gonarezhou Game Reserve. This is an already established tourist destination with quite a big number of elephants.
Such developments have, however, caused some concern among the community who are worried that their livestock will lose access to the water at the ox-bow lake once the area is fenced off and opened to tourism.
There are plans to drill boreholes for water for the livestock and people so that they do not interfere with the ox-bow lake. The German Technical Co-operation officials who visited the Sanctuary Pan have also considered the idea of seeking funding for drilling boreholes and more plans are still on the cards around this water point.
The “island of water” is also a bird’s paradise for viewers. Dozens of different types of birds come and/or live here only for the water in this dry part of Zimbabwe.
Four huge crocodiles are known to live in this pan, according to the local expert of the Sanctuary Pan, Ndlovu, who keeps record of all noticeable wild animals coming to drink here.
Ndlovu also says the pan is rich with various forms of aquatic life and more could be done to improve the diversity of the water-plants and animals at the ox-bow lake. (SARDC)
