Moffat Mungazi
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MUTARE City Council will not sit and watch residents planting crops in areas not designated for urban farming for the good of the environment as well as curtailing the rising cases of city flooding, declared the city mayor, Councillor Simon Chabuka.
The local authority employees were recently captured on camera slashing a mature maize crop in Sakubva’s OTS Section last week, and the video clip drew the ire of critics who felt Mutare City Council failed to show a humane approach to matters.
However, during a full council meeting held early this week at the Civic Centre, Councillor Chabuka said the local authority finds itself between a rock and a hard place in preserving the environment, and letting its residents supplement their food reserves from urban farming activities.
Councillor Chabuka, who in his personal capacity compensated some of the urban farmers whose crops were slashed in Sakubva, said his benevolent act was done in his own personal capacity, and did not reflect the position of the local authority.In presenting the first item of the full council meeting, Councillor Chabuka said: “The manner in which the issue of slashed maize crop was captured did not give a good picture of us as a local authority.
“It dented our image, but the problem is not ours as council. The same residents who complain that their maize crop has been slashed are the same who approach us complaining about being mugged because of the cover that the maize crop provides to thieves and robbers.
“Some of the crops, because the farmers plant right to the edge of the roads, make it difficult for drivers to have a clear vision, thereby causing unnecessary accidents. My plea to councillors is that we should educate our people on the proper ways of securing urban farming land.
“More importantly, we have been facing challenges related to flooding in the past two months as a city. This is all because people are planting crops in areas that are not designated for that.”
Councillor Chabuka said his visit to areas where the maize crop was slashed in Sakubva was not done on behalf of the local authority.
“I went to the areas that were captured on camera in Sakubva, and I went there as Councillor Chabuka, and not as a Mutare City Council representative. I managed to agree with the affected people, and some of them were saying they lost a bucket or two of maize-meal, hence I had to buy them from my own resources,” he said.
He, however, maintained that the local authority is not relenting on slashing crops planted in undesignated areas.
“We are not going back on that. Everyone is aware of issues related to climate change, and we cannot just sit and watch residents continuing practicing poor farming methods that place the lives of residents and infrastructure in danger,” he said.
Town Clerk, Mr Blessing Chafesuka, contributed to the discussion, saying: “We are talking about issues that have long term repercussions. People in Danganvura spent two decades without water coming from their tapes, and now that the challenge has been resolved, we have people planting right along the Dangamvura water pipeline. Surely, what are we supposed to do as a local authority?
“The sad thing is that people do not approach these discussions with an honest mind. We are aware that even if we slash the maize crop in its infancy, they will replant. The same thing happened in the area where the crop was recently slashed.”
Online Reporter