Zimbabwe’s veld fire battle: Bigger blazes, deeper losses

The smoke arrived long before the flames.

By the time villagers in Magodyo realised the fire had breached the dry grasslands surrounding their fields, the wind had already spread it wide. Thick smoke swallowed the village as children rushed with buckets from nearby wells and adults desperately beat the advancing front with tree branches.

Within hours, grazing fields had been reduced to blackened earth.

Mr Richard Mugona stood beside the carcasses of three burnt Boer goats, watching plumes of smoke rise behind his homestead.

“I tried to stop it, but the fire was spreading way too fast. These goats pay for my children’s school fees and losing three at one go is such a huge loss for me,” he said.

What began as a routine land-clearing fire had quickly spiralled out of control.
Ms Junior Mukwindidza, whose kitchen hut was also razed, said the loss of property due to veld fires in their village had become a common occurrence.

“Last year, my brother’s home was also destroyed. His son barely escaped that fire and he still struggles to sleep after that ordeal. We are trying to transition from thatch for roofing to asbestos or corrugated iron,” she lamented.

“We encounter this problem every year because people around here still use fire for land clearing. The village head tries to discourage it but the practice remains quite common.”

Figures from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA)’s 2025 fire assessment report paint an alarming picture of last year’s fire season. Zimbabwe lost 985 314 hectares of land to veld fires, from the 982 964 hectares burnt in 2024.

However, the critical anomaly lies in the efficiency of the destruction. The total number of fire incidents in 2025 dropped sharply by a third. Individual fires are now burning vastly larger areas before they are contained.

This shift is heavily impacting high-risk provinces like Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Manicaland, and the Midlands.

“We are seeing the direct impact of intense rainy seasons followed by extended droughts,” said Dr Tariro Chipepera, a regional climate researcher.

Zimbabwe is no longer simply battling frequent veld fires. It is battling larger, faster-moving and harder-to-control fires, with environmental experts saying climate change is worsening the situation.

Climate communicator, Mr Phillip Tomu said prolonged droughts, hotter temperatures and changing rainfall patterns are creating an environment highly prone to veld fires.

“Heavy rains increase vegetation growth during the wet season, but prolonged dry periods later turn that vegetation into dangerous fuel loads. Once fires start under windy and dry conditions, they spread rapidly and become much harder to contain,” he explained.
An investigation into Zimbabwe’s disaster response infrastructure reveals poor management of the veld fire situation by local authorities.

Internal audit records and fiscal allocation papers from 10 of the highest-risk rural district councils, including Makoni, Mutasa and Hurungwe, reveal a devastating systemic failure.

Across the 11 primary fire hotspot districts, there are only three fully operational, heavy-duty mechanised firefighting units.

While EMA issues thousands of theoretical “fire orders” requiring landowners to clear fireguards, local councils do not coordinate with the Forestry Commission or the CPU to enforce them.

The 2025 fire season has reached US$1,4 million in documented structural and agricultural losses. Property, heavy farming equipment, tourism lodges and boundary fencing have been wiped out, alongside several human fatalities.

White Horse Inn managing director, Mr Frank Marembo said stern measures have since been put in place to prevent veld fires at all costs.

“We experience numerous veld fires in the Vumba area and the best we can do is ensure we follow to the dot the fire suppression measures recommended by EMA. Property owners around here do the same as we have patrons lives to constantly consider,” he said.

Corporate insurance and agricultural risk experts say over 92 percent of communal farmers and smallholder tourism operators in these zones are completely uninsured.

Corporate risk analyst Mr Farai Mandizvidza said veld fires are an uninsurable risk for most smallholders due to the lack of mitigating infrastructure.

“When a fire destroys a farm, there is no safety net. The financial loss is absorbed entirely by the household. This doesn’t just destroy grass; it permanently resets the poverty cycle for these families,” he explained.

While EMA points to its statutory limitations, critics argue that the agency operates more as a data-collection bureau rather than an enforcement mechanism.

“EMA issues fines, but the fines are heavily eroded by inflation or completely ignored because the judicial system treats environmental crimes as low-priority misdemeanours,” said environmental lawyer, Mr Innocent Mandikate.

“Simultaneously, the Forestry Commission’s firefighting teams are grounded by fuel shortages, and local councils don’t face any penalties for failing to maintain district firebreaks.”

This leaves communal farmers in an impossible position. Some farmers noted that while they understand the legal requirement to maintain standard 9-metre fireguards, they lack the capital to hire tractors or labour to clear them.

Meanwhile, Timber Producers Federation chief executive officer, Mr Darlington Duwa commended stakeholder co-operation in the battle against veld fires.

“We have been working hand in hand with EMA and the Forestry Commission, among other stakeholders, to keep fighting veld fires. It’s an ongoing battle and I’m confident that it can be won. We have since increased security around most timber plantations to prevent cases of arson,” he said.
Agronomist Mr Kennedy Mukonyora believes communities must shift from reactive measures to proactive land management.
“The battle against veld fires is still a tough one and every farmer has a role to play. I advise farmers to cut that tall, dry grass before it becomes a fuse and bale it for livestock feed instead,” he said.

“Reduce heavy fuel loads in the cooler winter months through controlled, coordinated block burning; done with neighbours and local authorities, not in isolation.”

Community firefighter trained by EMA, Sarah Mazaiwana echoed the call for greater awareness.
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“Most farmers wait too long to cut grass on their farms, as such we end up having too much work to do when fires break out. Others are still adamant about fire guard construction, so EMA should educate people more around these measures to further prevent veld fire occurrences,” she said.

Zimbabwe’s official fire season runs from July 31 to October 31, a period characterised by dry vegetation, strong winds and soaring temperatures. Across the country’s high-risk zones, the scars of last year’s infernos remain visible. From charred tree trunks to ash-covered fields and communities trying to rebuild from the loss.

As another fire season approaches, experts warn that the greatest threat is no longer the fire itself.
Rather, it is the persistence of weak enforcement, inadequate preparedness and a lack of accountability that continue to allow preventable disasters to recur year after year.
Unless these gaps are addressed, the smoke will keep arriving long before the flames.