Chinhoyi — Chief Zvimba has banned the harvesting of wild fruits for sale in his area.

He has also banned the holding of prayers in surrounding mountains as part of a raft of measures he said were aimed at "restoring traditional practices".

The chief said he would not allow prayer vigils in the mountains and urged people who wanted somewhere to worship to approach him and council so that they are allocated places of worship.

Addressing people at the handover of textbooks to Kutama Day School by Zvimba South legislator Cde Walter Chidakwa at the weekend, Chief Zvimba -- Mr Stanley Mhondoro -- said there was need to ensure everyone, including animals, access to wild fruits.

Many local families have been surviving on harvesting wild fruits and selling them to bulk buyers who, in turn, sell them in urban areas.

"I want to announce that harvesting of wild fruits in bulk for sale has been banned and headmen should see to it that the order is enforced because failure to do so could lead to arrest," he said.

There is a belief in some areas that ancestral spirits punish communities that harvest wild fruits without leaving anything for animals. Turning to the issue of prayers, he said the mountains were the "fortress of the Zvimba people's traditions and should not be adulterated".

"People who want places to worship should approach the chief who will approach council for allocation of places of worship. Headmen will be held responsible for people selling fruits in their areas and for also going to pray in the mountains which are steeped in the traditions of the Zvimba people," he said.

Meanwhile, Cde Chidakwa handed over textbooks to Kutama Day High School as part of plans to improve access to information for people in the constituency.

The donation coincided with the official handover of 15 computers donated by President Mugabe to Kutama Mission High School last week.

The school library was built with funding from President Mugabe.

Cde Chidakwa sourced the textbooks from Rotary International and World Vision.

He said education was key to unlocking the potential inherent in all children and called upon parents and guardians to prioritise their children's education.

Cde Chidakwa said each ward in Zvimba South constituency should have a library.

"We are starting a journey of a thousand miles and this is the first step we are taking," he said.

He said the libraries would soon be transformed into information centres with computers and Internet access.