Mthunzi Funeral Services, a subsidiary of Old Mutual Malawi, has planted 500 tree seedlings at Old Napeli graveyard in Blantyre.
Speaking during the exercise on Tuesday morning, February 14, Mthunzi Funeral Services General Manager Onismas Karakadzai, said the gesture is aimed at reversing the effects of climate change which he said have negatively impacted Malawi and the globe at large.
Karakadzai said their choice of dressing up the graveyard is in line with his company’s core business of burying the dead in dignified way where there is also use of trees for production of caskets and coffins.
“We started this initiative in 2021. Our core business is burying the dead and part of our products that we use are coffins and caskets that are manufactured from trees. So, this is part of the initiative to restore the environment from which our products originate from.
“More than that, you all know the effects of climate change and the impact it is having on communities, so this is the way of encouraging the community on the need to plant more trees. We believe that this initiative, we will reverse and stop the effects of climate change,” said Karakadzai.
The Mthunzi Funeral Service General Manager further mentioned that the company has plans to extend the gesture to other areas and also revealed plans to adopt some schools which will be engaged in series of tree planting exercises.
In his reaction, councillor for Soche east ward Leonard Chimbanga, thanked the funeral services provider for coming up with the idea to dress the Old Napeli graveyard claiming under Malawian culture, graveyards need to always be respected.
Chimbanga further added that as the world is struggling with the effects of climate change, the private sector needs to know what to do and be in the forefront of setting the example by carrying such exercises and he has since urged other companies to follow suit.
Concurrently, Group Village Head Zingwangwa commended the company for the gesture and has since vowed to make sure that the tree seedlings are protected and should all survive.
“I am very happy with Mthunzi Funeral Services for remembering us. People have been cutting down trees in this graveyard and the gesture will change the face of our graveyard here. We will put a very tight security to look after these tree seedlings and we will make sure that they should all survive,” reacted Group Village Head Zingwangwa.
In December last year, Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera launched the 2022/2023 National Forestry season with a call to Malawians and companies to take multiple actions to restore natural forests as country is expected to plant over 50 million trees this season.
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