War vets sell firewood
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
War veterans who invaded the once productive Jack Hulley Farm in Mutare
South during the Zanu (PF) government’s land “reform” programme are
currently doing brisk business selling firewood from the exotic and
indigenous trees on the property.
13.06.1208:20am
by Clayton Masekesa
The war vets, who have failed to use the land productively, have nothing to
live on except the timber, which they are felling indiscriminately.
Truckloads of firewood are seen being transported from the farm to Mutare
city for sale on a massive scale.
“It is so painful to note that the farm that was the hub of farming
activities in Chigodora area is now in a sorry state. Those nice trees are
no longer there – just huge tracts of land being misused,”said Andrew
Masiyazi, a villager near the farm.
A well-known war veteran Caleb Mwatongera said: “This is our land and
everything on it belongs to us. We fought for this country. We are in the
business of selling firewood and I do not see what’s wrong with that. We
want to survive and feed our families – you know there was drought last
year.”
He said a fully loaded lorry was sold for $350 and a cord of firewood for
$60.
The Environmental Management Agency Provincial Environmental Officer,
Kingston Chitotombe said the agency was aware of the situation.
“We are working with other various stakeholders including the Local
Government, Police and other relevant key ministries in order to control the
situation. We held a meeting with these stakeholders together with the
farmers last month and explained to them the implications of cutting down of
trees, which speeds land degradation that would fast threaten productive
farming,” explained Chitotombe.
Protracted power outages have led to an increased demand for alternative
sources of energy. The Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution
Company (ZETDC) last week launched an 18 hour load shedding programme
countrywide.