30 years surviving on grass harvesting… Mother-daughter duo sustain generations, protect Matobo

THE team of elderly mother and daughter, Sandisiwe Dube and Ethel Dube, has been harvesting thatching grass for a combined 30 years in the Matobo National Park. Through hard work, sweat, and sheer determination to survive under adverse conditions, they feed a family of three generations.

Sandisiwe is 78, while her daughter Ethel is 58. The thatching grass they sell on a roadside in the Matobo National Park is harvested in the vast plains of the game reserve and sold for US$2 per bundle.

More than 30 women, who have formed an informal association that decides where in the vast national park each member harvests their share of the thatching grass, are making a living from the seasonal enterprise that peaks in winter when the grass is dry and long.

Gogo Sandisiwe says she raised all her eight children by selling thatching grass, a business that supplements her income from small grains and maize that she sells to the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) after a good harvest.

This year, however, she has had to solely survive on selling thatching grass after a poor harvest owing to the El Nino-induced drought that decimated crops and left villagers who live in communities on the periphery of the Matobo National Park with nothing from their fields.

Even the thatching grass harvests are low because of the little rain the area received this year. But she still roams the plains of the national park, harvesting the limited straws of grass that she can, ties them into bundles, and sits on the roadside hoping for a passing driver to stop and buy. Their major clients are businesspeople building lodges, who buy in bulk for the construction of gazebos, conference rooms, and fancy hotel rooms for their clients.

“I raised all my children through selling thatching grass and now I work together with my daughter who does most of the cutting while I tie the grass into bundles. It’s hard work but at least it puts food on the table for our families,” said Gogo Sandisiwe.

Matobo National Park is a major tourist attraction and each year thousands of tourists, foreign and local, visit Matabeleland South Province to view the majestic balancing rocks, breath-taking hills and caves that it has to offer.
The occasional tourists stop by and greet Gogo Sandisiwe and her daughter Ethel and ask questions on how they make a living through selling grass.

“The tourists, especially those who come from overseas, find it fascinating how we make a living selling grass. They are used to seeing locals selling sculptures, beads, and printed fabrics but not grass. Some of them ask to take pictures with us and they leave loose change if they have,” she said.

The two women have been working and living in the national park for almost two months now and hope to cash in on their bundles of thatching grass before going back to their village in Silozwi, just outside the national park, to start preparing fields for the upcoming rainy season.

“We live in accommodation that used to be houses for Zimparks (Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority) employees before they relocated to a new housing compound and have been working and living here for about two months now. Zimparks allows us to use the houses for free and we are grateful for that,” said Ethel.

She has been harvesting thatching grass for over 15 years and says the business has been a constant source of income for her family.

“All my children are grown up now and I raised them through selling thatching grass so this business has fed three generations from my mother, her children, and now her grandchildren,” she said.

Data from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) indicates significant progress in reducing veld fires at Matobo National Park, with only seven incidents recorded in 2022. While community beehive smokers remain a concern, causing fires through improper honey harvesting techniques, the park has seen a positive trend.

Women like Gogo Sandisiwe and Ethel are also contributing to reducing the impact of veld fires in the national park as the spread of the infernos is greatly reduced in areas where they harvest grass.

“In areas where we harvest the grass, fire doesn’t spread quickly as it does in places where we don’t find grass that is suitable for thatching. Veld fires also affect us because it takes time for the grass to grow in areas that would have been burnt thereby decreasing the number of bundles of grass we harvest each year,” added Ethel.

Edward Mabhena, the headman of nearby Silozwi Village, applauds the improved relationship between Zimparks and villagers. The collaboration allows community members controlled access to Matobo National Park for grass cutting.

“I’m happy to say as villagers we have taken ownership of the park as we are allowed to go in and cut thatching grass. We also teach one another the effects of veld fires and we are vigilant against leaving unattended fire in the national park.

“Our people are making a living through harvesting the grass, which also reduces cases of poaching because we know that as long as our activities are legal, Zimparks will allow us to work in the national park,” said Mabhena.
Thatching grass harvesting plays a critical role in biomass reduction.

“In some areas such as Somabhula in the Midlands Province, I know of a group that harvests and sells more than 27 000 bundles of thatching grass in a year mainly to people that are involved in the thatching business.

“The substandard grass that remains after combing is sold to chicken and livestock farmers. Apart from the financial benefits, the grass harvesters now have an understanding of the benefits of thatch grass harvesting concerning veld fire management,” said environmentalist Calisto Munyuki.