Lingani Nyika, Chronicle Reporter
SOME suburbs in Victoria Falls have been without electricity for a decade and residents have been cutting down trees for firewood causing massive deforestation in the nearby Chamabondo National Park.

The Victoria Falls City council management has expressed concern over the cutting down of trees which is an environmental hazard.

Hlalani Kuhle, BC846, BC847 which have been in existence for about a decade as well as CBZ stands that were built starting in 2016 have no electricity.

Some electricity poles still lie on the ground where Zesa electricians dumped them a few years ago.

Residents use firewood, charcoal, gas and solar energy. Many poach firewood from the bush where they usually have running battles with anti-poaching teams from the local authority, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and other private organisations.

A news crew spoke to some of the residents who said they risk their lives from being attacked by wildlife or shot by rangers as they fetch firewood in the bush.

They said life is unbearable and implored authorities to urgently look into the matter and connect electricity to the area.

“We usually monitor the movement of rangers and enter the bush mostly during lunch time or towards the evening when they stop patrolling. We have had several encounters with rangers and anti-poaching units and those who fail to run away get arrested and usually are made to pay spot fines or at the police,” said one of the residents, Ms Sithulisiwe Ncube of CBZ.

Ms Saneliso Dube of BC846 said she has resorted to gas because of the running battles with rangers.

“We still have no electricity here and I now use gas and charcoal for cooking. We wish one day Zesa will connect us because we are tired of buying charcoal,” she said.

Ms Molly Tonono of CBZ stands said they need electricity ironing, cooking and charging electrical gadgets.

Some said they struggle to work from home as they cannot use electrical gadgets such as laptops and phones because of lack of electricity.
A few fortunate ones have installed solar panels for lighting and connecting electrical gadgets.

Victoria Falls City mayor Councillor Somveli Dlamini said the council has engaged Energy and Power Development as well as Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry ministries over the issue.

He said residents resort to haphazard cutting of trees because they are desperate.

“Deforestation was necessitated by failure by the power utility to connect the suburbs to the grid. Some of the suburbs were built in 2010 but still have no electricity and residents get into the bush for firewood. We hope Zesa will act faster in erecting the poles they delivered some time ago,” Cllr Dlamini said.

Acting Zesa spokesperson Ms Prisca Utete could not be reached on her mobile phone for comment but a source within the power utility said the company is struggling to get transformers to connect new suburbs.

Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Minister Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu who was in Victoria Falls last week, said Government was aware of the issue after being approached by the local authority and is worried about cutting down of trees hence measures would be taken to address the situation.-@NyikaLingani