The residents have since planted the seedlings at the graveyard and surrounding areas.
Mthunzi Funeral Services General Manager, Onismas Karakadzai, said the donation is part of the activities the company lined up for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs for this year.
Karakadzai stated that as a business that provides funeral services, the company recognizes the importance of wood and its products such as coffins and caskets.
“This is a small step, but plans are big. We want to make sure that all the communities are aware of the need to plant and conserve trees. We will also have initiatives in the near future where we engage the youth, through adopting the schools where we can plant trees with school children,” he said.
Councillor for Naperi Ward Leonard Chimbanga commended the company, saying its donation had come at the right time when other communities were involved in tree planting initiatives.
Chimbanga pledged his commitment to encouraging residents to take care of the trees.
“Mthunzi Funeral Services has done its part. It’s now our responsibility to water them and look after them so that they grow,” he said.
In his remarks, Group Village Headman Zingwangwa assured the company that they will take care of the donated tree seedlings.
President Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera launched 2022-2023 the tree planting season in December 2022 with an appeal to Malawians to take multiple and sustained actions to reserve the destruction of natural forests.