A couple of years ago Mount Hampden may have not offered a postcard picture view, but its vast expanses of grasslands which turned a lush green in summer were enough to catch the eye of nature lovers.
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Report by Cliff Chiduku Sub Editor
It’s now history.
Passers-by cannot help shaking their heads in dejection as they watch the once picturesque landscape slowly turning into unsightly craters and gullies — the work of unlicensed brick moulders and sand poachers daily scalping off the grass and scooping tonnes of soil for their respective trades.
No more is that tall grass. And residents and environmentalists are concerned.
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When NewsDay visited the area last week, scores of men and boys could be seen loading shovelfuls of soil onto trucks and making off with trucks carrying heaped sand or bricks baked in makeshift kilns dotted around the area.
Ramshackle old trucks entering and leaving the compound raising clouds of dust gave the impression of a thriving mining operation.
While locals are concerned as they watch their environs turned into wasteland, to some involved in these illegal activities at the farm are a boon.
Forty-five-year-old Edmore Magura says the illegal brick-moulding business is his only means of livelihood.
“As a father with a family to feed, I have to do anything to bring food on the table,” said Magura who worked as a machinist for a clothing company which pulled down the shutters in 2008.
“I had to look for something to help us sustain our livelihoods. It’s better for me to survive on something that is environmentally unfriendly rather than being involved in criminal activities. Who cares about the environment when there is nothing to eat? “Murambiwa Gotora, a resident of Kuwadzana said customers are drawn to the farm by the low prices offered by the illegal brick moulders, turning their activities into a lucrative business.
“As long as the prices at formal markets are high, I don’t see the practice coming to an end,” said Gotora who built his eight-roomed house in Kuwadzana with bricks he bought from the unlicensed traders.
The brick traders sell 1 000 bricks for as little as $40 while licenced companies, some of which are operating in the neighbourhood, sell the same quantity for more than $160.
“These pricing discrepancies will leave this informal sector with an upper hand and difficulty to eradicate.” Gotora said.
“It’s not that we are not aware that these activities are illegal and are causing environmental degradation, but it’s a matter of survival.”
While small-scale companies and individuals are making quick bucks through brick moulding, it is the environment that is at the receiving end as dangerous pits and ugly patches are abandoned and left unattended.
Mount Hampden resident Viola Mugurasave complained that the brick moulders are causing harm as water accumulates in the holes left after their excavation putting children at risk of drowning.
She said the pools and puddles make perfect breeding areas for vermin.
“These guys are not concerned with what would become of us. They leave deep ponds and open pits which collect rain-water exposing our children to the risk of drowning,” Mugurasave said, urging the authorities to act.
“They just want to make quick bucks without being concerned about our welfare. Urgent intervention is needed before the worse befalls us.”
Ironically, these activities are happening in broad daylight right under noses of the government and local authorities.
Member of Parliament for Zvimba East Simbarashe Mukwangwariwa said some of brick moulders at Mount Hampden are legal businesses operating under the indigenisation and economic empowerment regulations.
“Some businesspeople who are engaged in brick moulding at Mount Hampden should be commended for trying to earn an honest living though there is need to put in place some form of control so that the land is not damaged. We are working towards bringing modern machinery so that their operations are above board and environmentally friendly.”The Environmental Management Agency (EMA)’s communications and publicity officer Steady Kangata urged business and authorities to ensure that income generating activities do not use methods that damage the environment.
Kangata said to curb damage to the environment the government came up with a statutory instrument 4 three years ago which requires those engaging in soil extraction for commercial purposes to be licenced.
Kangata said, “Anyone who extracts a tonne or more of sand for commercial purposes should be in possession of a licence. However, for one to have a licence EMA would assist the proponent with coming up an environment management plan showing how the area is going to be rehabilitated.”
Environmental lobby organisation, Environment Africa said they do not condone harmful environmental, but of course, due to the harsh economic conditions people are engaging is illegal practices.
Environment Africa communications officer Sandra Gobvu said, “We do not have the authority to arrest or enforce environmental legislation as EMA are the custodians of this portfolio. As an organisation we are concerned with creating awareness to communities and people about the consequences of bad environmental governance.”
She added:“Local authorities have by-laws in place and we encourage them to assist the government in enforce these laws as government may not have the capacity to monitor the whole country.”
Harare Residents’ Trust director Precious Shumba said that as long as the government can’t provide employment opportunities, the problem will not be solved.
“In finding solutions to problems being experienced by communities, it is prudent to realise that every stakeholder has a role to play in safeguarding the environment, meaning the laws of the country that protect the environment should be upheld. Instead of blaming someone, we must be focussing on the issues that affect the communities.”Shumba added that local authorities are sleeping on duty.
“Local authorities have a statutory responsibility to enforce their by-laws in terms of the Urban Councils’ Act or the Rural District Councils Act, and the Environment Management Act, as superintended by EMA. Without adequate monitoring mechanisms, the sand poachers will have a free reign and can cause extensive damage to the environment in the guise of unemployment and poverty.
It must be noted that the people who are building the houses where the bricks are being sold are accomplices in the damaging of the environment, so they have to be penalised by the local authorities for dealing in illegal practices.
“More education within communities remains the best alternative to safeguarding the environment, besides addressing social-economic issues affecting these communities.”
Speaking at the World Wetlands Day commemoration in Mutasa last month, Environment, Water and Climate minister Saviour Kasukuwere called on for sustainable utilisation of natural resources.
“As government we are not forbidding exploitation of natural resources, but we shouldn’t mine anywhere anyhow. If we destroy the environment, we will have done a disservice to ourselves. Not only do these activities (farming and mining) affect our ecological character, they also impact on human health and the quality of drinking water. We need to ensure that there is balance between production and natural resources exploitation and protection.”Until a lasting solution is found, these brick moulders and sand poachers will continue to cause land degradation around Mount Hampden.