Chronicle Editor
Andile Tshuma, Chronicle Reporter
KEZI villagers in Matabeleland South are living in fear of losing their livestock to starvation as veld fires have razed most grazing lands.
In an interview Chief Nyangazonke of Kezi said the veld fire menace was fuelled by hunters and gold panners in the area who started fires that they would end up failing to contain.
“We are encountering a serious veld fire problem in my area and some unscrupulous people are supposedly behind them.
“It is difficult to prove but illegal hunters start these fires which end up spreading to grazing and communal lands,” said the chief.
“Other problematic people are gold panners who have become a menace. They start fires to clear land and this is not good for us and our livestock,” he said.
The chief said the Government should respond quickly to the problem as he feared that livestock would perish.
He said the situation was dire because the Meteorological Department forecast that rains will come a bit later this year.
“People lose livestock annually due to drought, late rains and other reasons but this time, it is these fires, most of which are a result of illegal and irresponsible activities by some community members. People should conserve land, even those that do not own any livestock,” said the chief.
Last week, the Environmental Management Agency national spokesperson Mr Steady Kangata said there had been a 25 percent increase in veld fires countrywide.
“As at September 21, 2017 we have recorded a 25 percent increase in fire incidents across the country. In 2016, we recorded 967 cases of fire incidents during the same period while this year we have 1 484 cases already,” said Mr Kangata.
He said by this time last year, 612 653 hectares of land had been burnt while to date, more than 760 000 hectares have been destroyed by fire.
Mashonaland West Province recorded the biggest area that was destroyed, with 266 810ha destroyed followed by Matabeleland North with 235 230ha.
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