Bubi becomes hotspot for illegal charcoal production

BUBI District in Matabeleland North has become a hotspot for massive deforestation as communities in resettlement areas are engaged in extensive cutting down of the protected mopane trees to produce charcoal.

The people involved are said to be working in cahoots with buyers from Bulawayo who bring trucks to buy the charcoal for resale, mainly in Bulawayo.

Since January, 10 buyers of charcoal have been arrested in Bubi while in the process of transporting charcoal with the latest incident occurring last Thursday.

The country’s energy gap has been blamed for fuelling the charcoal production and the situation is worse during winter when the country experiences increased load shedding.

The mopane tree is protected under Statutory Instrument 116 of 2012 and experts have raised concern over its target by charcoal producers.

Various agencies including Bubi Rural District Council (RDC), Forestry Commission, Environmental Management Agency and police are working on the ground to bring the perpetrators to book.

Bubi RDC Environmental Committee chairperson councillor, Ignatius Khabo, said the local authority was concerned with the level of deforestation in the area.

“We are witnessing serious destruction of the environment due to communities that are involved in charcoal making. One of the worst affected areas is Goodwood village in Ward 6 where people are cutting down big mopane trees to produce charcoal,” he said.

“Since January, working with the police and Forestry Commission, we have arrested 10 people caught transporting the charcoal,” said Clr Khabo.

He said the major concern is that communities are fuelling environmental destruction as they are the ones who invite buyers to come and collect charcoal.

Clr Khabo said the prevailing drought situation has worsened the situation. “People have been making charcoal but not at the scale that we are witnessing now. We are concerned that if this is not addressed, this place will be a desert in the next few years,” said Clr Khabo.

He said some buyers were exchanging maize for the charcoal. Clr Khabo said big mopane trees were being cut down and the fines seem not to be deterrent enough.

He said the charcoal transporters are fined just US$30 and as such many of them continue coming back.
Bulawayo and Matabeleland North Forestry Commission chief forester, Mr Armstrong Tembo, said the cutting down of trees for charcoal making has become an issue of concern in Bubi district.

“Bubi District used to be a very quiet place in terms of cutting down of trees but lately it is a hotspot for illegal tree cutting,” he said.

Mr Tembo said there is massive cutting down of trees, especially in areas sharing the border with Nkayi.
“Our teams together with EMA are on the ground to try and arrest some of the culprits but it is difficult to remove them as the fines are not deterrent enough,” he said.

Mr Tembo said a bag of charcoal costs US$10 and the charcoal traders are therefore prepared to take the risk.
“Due to the energy gap in the country there is a ready market for the charcoal,” he said. —@nqotshili