31/03/2015
RUNDU’S “LAZARUS TREE” INSPIRES CONSTRUCTION OF LODGE
The construction of a lodge may be on the cards near a “miraculous” thorn tree in the northern Namibian town of Rundu.
The thorn tree, known in the local ruKavango language as ‘muhengeva’, at the village of Kahukuru to the west of Rundu fell over last February during a hailstorm - but filled residents with awe when it apparently rose by itself. A group of men was busy cutting off its branches to clear the road it was blocking got the surprise of their lives when the tree “mysteriously rose” into an upright position again.
The “Lazarus tree” has now become some sort of tourist attraction. Businessman Daniel Mukisi has fenced off the tree and intends to build a lodge nearly to accommodate visitors and tourists. Other accommodation facilities are already being built. Construction of Mukisi’s lodge is at an early state and it is unclear when it will become operational.
Residents regard the tree's 'resurrection' as a supernatural event and have requested government to declare it a historical site, but that appears highly unlikely as a parliamentarian sparked laughter in the National Assembly when he suggested scientific research into the mysterious tree.
A chief warden in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in the Kavango region, Phillip Steyn, said at the time of the incident that the tree had probably tilted upright after its branches were chopped off because the top part became lighter than the bottom which was anchored by the root system. Despite this scientific explanation, villagers are adamant that it was a 'supernatural' incident. Taxi drivers also make brisk business transporting visitors to the site.
The Kavango region already has a historical tree at Kapako village, 30km west of Rundu. The Acacia Erioloba thorn tree, known in Rukavango as 'Munyondo gwaKapande', has a thicker than normal trunk and was declared a historical site because of its structure.
Source: allafrica.com (30 Mrt)