Ivan Zhakata
Check Point Desk
A thriving but largely informal trade in singed cattle and goat hides has emerged along Chitungwiza Road, with customers from different parts of Harare flocking to the area opposite Koala Abattoir to buy the animal products as relish.
A visit to the area by this reporter, posing as a prospective customer revealed people buying cattle heads and hides, removing the hair and singeing the skins over open flames before selling them to consumers. Some traders were also selling pieces of cooked or singed hide together with sadza, while others brought their own hides to the roadside operators to have them processed for a fee.
A piece of hide from a cattle head was being sold for between US$1 and US$2, while hooves were going for about US$3. Customers who brought their own hides were reportedly charged about US$1 per hide for the singeing and preparation process.
The business appeared lucrative, with a steady stream of customers arriving from different parts of Harare to buy the singed hides. One of the traders told this publication that there was nothing unusual about eating the hides.
“People have been eating these for a long time. They are just like hooves and can be eaten by anyone,” the trader said.
Another trader said the products were safe provided they were properly cooked.
However, food safety experts say the question is not simply whether the hide can be cooked, but whether the animal was healthy, whether the hide was handled hygienically and what materials were used during processing.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says animal hides are heavily contaminated parts of the carcass and can carry high levels of bacteria. Its meat inspection guidelines warn that hides can contaminate otherwise clean meat during slaughter and dressing.
The World Health Organisation also warns that diseases originating in animals can reach humans through food, contaminated animal products and direct contact with infected animals.
Of particular concern is the source of some of the hides and the conditions under which they are processed. WHO says animals that are sick, behave abnormally or die suddenly should not be used for food or animal products, while veterinary inspection before slaughter is an important food-safety safeguard.
There are also questions around the materials used to singe the hides.
A 2025 study on singed edible cattle hides in Nigeria found elevated concentrations of some heavy metals in samples and raised concerns about toxic contamination associated with traditional singeing practices, particularly where discarded tyres, synthetic materials and petroleum-derived fuels are used.
This does not establish that hides being sold along Chitungwiza Road are contaminated, but it highlights the need for testing rather than relying solely on traders’ assurances that the products are safe. The investigation also found no visible indication that the roadside products were being subjected to the same level of veterinary inspection, hygiene controls and traceability normally associated with regulated food production.
The growing popularity of the trade has therefore raised questions for public health authorities: Are the animals subjected to veterinary inspection before their hides and heads enter the food chain? What fuels are being used to singe the hides? Are the products being prepared on surfaces suitable for food handling? And are samples being tested for microbial and chemical contamination?
Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Health and Child Care Dr Aspect Maunganidze said in Zimbabwe, it was not uncommon for the skin or hide attached to the head and feet to be eaten after thorough boiling as part of the preparation of the head or feet.
Dr Maunganidze said however, eating the broader hide was not a widespread or culturally accepted practice in Zimbabwe.
“While consumption of animal hide as food occurs in some West African countries, this is not generally the case in Zimbabwe. From a public health perspective, the potential health concerns relate mainly to how the hide is sourced, processed, handled, stored and prepared for consumption, rather than to the hide itself. Poor cleaning, unhygienic processing conditions, contamination during handling, inadequate cooking or improper storage could create food borne health risks,” he said.
“The Ministry, together with the City’s Environmental Health Officers and Meat Inspectors will conduct an assessment of the reported activities. Where any breaches of public health, food safety or meat inspection requirements are identified, appropriate enforcement action will be taken.”
For consumers, the popularity of the product does not by itself establish its safety.
FAO guidance stresses that hygienic slaughter and handling are essential because contamination can occur from hides, equipment, workers’ hands and gastrointestinal contents.
With traders continuing to attract customers from across Harare, the informal hide market presents an emerging food-safety issue that warrants investigation by veterinary, health and local authority officials before the practice becomes more widespread.
