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Noah Pito
With the rains about to kick-start tobacco planting, a bitter clash between Hurungwe’s traditional chiefs and tobacco merchants is looming amid concerns that the latter are a law unto themselves.
Hurungwe Rural District Council also accuses the companies of exacerbating land degradation after failing to monitor their clients and provide them with adequate resources, including extension services.
The council also accuses the companies of engaging illegal settlers as clients.
The chiefs, who presented their grievances at a recent special full council meeting convened by Hurungwe RDC in Magunje, want tobacco merchants to recognise them as custodians of natural resources and to abide by local traditions.
Seven of Hurungwe’s eight chiefs, their headmen and the area’s 26 ward councillors attended. Only Mashonaland Tobacco Company was represented from the merchants’ side, although at least eight had been invited.
Chief Nematombo said it was a must that all tobacco companies working in the area visit the chief’s residence for orientation before going to the villages.
“They should respect us as leaders of the areas for they get business from our subjects. Presently it seems like they are operating in a vacuum.
“They never respect us nor realise that we are the custodians of these areas and their natural resources. Even their extension workers have no respect for us, they are working against the norms and values of our areas.
“How can one just enter my area and start talking to my subjects without my knowledge? How can a company just come into my area and tell my subjects to cut down trees without my authority; worse still, urging my subjects to ignore certain norms of my area?” asked Chief Nematombo.
Chief Chundu weighed in saying contract farmers respected tobacco extension workers more than the traditional leadership.
“When I call for a crucial meeting some of the contract farmers ignore and prefer to attend the meetings called for by their masters who now seem to have taken over our traditional roles. They no longer listen to me. They are cutting down trees even in sacred mountains and grave sites, with the majority of them farming on wetlands.”
Trees used by spirit mediums for rain-making ceremonies were being chopped down indiscriminately, he lamented.
“All this is happening in the full glare of their extension workers who never say a word although they must be properly guiding these culprits. Due to this chaos strange things have been witnessed in my area.
“Baboons are climbing down the mountains to devour the green tobacco in the fields. This in fact is punishment from the spirits. This must stop in my area. Have you ever heard of baboons feasting on the tobacco crop?” fumed Chief Chundu.
Chief Senator Dandawa accused the merchants of failing to plough back into communities and being aloof when it came to national events like Independence and Heroes days.
“Over the years they leave our people worn out and damaged by harmful tobacco pesticides yet they never donate to a single hospital or fork out just a few dollars to let our communities make merry at national events like Heroes and Independence commemorations,” he charged.
“This house must note that contract farmers make the majority of culprits who defy Government regulations on controlled crops.
“They only listen to the companies extension workers who never encourage them to destroy tobacco stalks by the set deadlines. It is because these extension workers lack the requisite conservation education since they are former white commercial farm workers who were just hand-picked on the strength of their tobacco growing skills,” said one councillor.
It was resolved at the meeting that no company would operate in the area without signing a memorandum of understanding spelling out parameters in which council expected them to operate.
Hurungwe RDC chief executive Mr Joram Moyo said, “All the farmers to be contracted must be genuine. We don’t expect them to engage illegal settlers in game areas, wetlands or waterways.
“In the MoU we also have clauses that talk about monitoring their farmers to ensure that they (farmers) stick to the use of coal rather than what is happening now.
“Some of these merchants have engaged mostly illegal settlers in game areas. The farmers have become the main culprits in causing deforestation. There is a lot of wetland infiltration, poaching activities, veld fires and siltation of dams all being caused by the very illegal settlers they are contracting.”
Councilors also accused merchants of failing to encourage farmers to enter maize production, which has drastically fallen in recent years.
“They only concentrate on tobacco alone yet the farmers need food. Imagine that their extension workers only focus on tobacco yet they must assist the farmers in the growing of cereals, particularly maize.
“These companies must be sensitive enough and provide their farmers with inputs for growing maize. This is one way in which our ZimAsset cluster on food security can be achieved in the area,” said Cllr Clever Zinyemba.
According to Mr Moyo fierce land disputes in some areas have escalated as a result of the merchants formalising illegal settlements by recognising unlawful settlers.
Among merchants operating in Hurungwe are British American Tobacco, Zimbabwe Leaf Tobacco, Tribac and Boost Africa.
“Over the years they leave our people worn out and damaged by harmful tobacco pesticides yet they never donate to a single hospital or fork out just a few dollars to let our communities make merry at national events like Heroes and Independence commemorations
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