The ManicaPost
Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter
CHARCOAL traders are enjoying brisk business in Manicaland urban settlements at the expense of the province’s forests as low income earners have turned to the product to substitute electricity and liquefied gas.
While charcoal is locally available and is by far the cheapest option for household usage, it has a dark side.
It is produced from wood and its increased usage translates to increased loss of forest cover.
The loss of forest cover causes soil degradation through increased soil erosion.
Deforestation also promotes climate change.
Since Zimbabwean agriculture is largely rain fed, this has an adverse impact on agricultural production.
Each year, Zimbabwe loses about 60 million trees — about 33 000 hectares of forests to illegal deforestation.
This is according to the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe, with charcoaling contributing significantly to this evil.
A recent survey conducted by The Manica Post across Manicaland revealed that hard wood charcoal dealers have mushroomed as they capitalise on the winter season, high costs and non-availability of electricity, as well as the high number of urban dwellings without power connectivity.
Charcoal can be made from both hard and soft wood, but the hard wood variety is preferred and fetches a higher price on the market as it does not break easily and has a higher energy content.
A lot of the indigenous musharu or mopani, msasa, mutondo, muunze and mupfuti trees have been reduced to stumps after being cut down to make charcoal.
The vice is rife in Chipinge, Chimanimani, Mutare and Nyanga Districts.
Musharu or Mopani is one of the country’s iconic indigenous trees that can survive in hot and dry conditions, and its leaves are renowned for their high protein for livestock.
Forestry Commission provincial manager, Mr Phillip Tom said production, marketing and even usage of charcoal are crimes, unless the charcoal is made from exotic trees.
“It is illegal, just like cutting down trees for firewood. Even importation of charcoal into Zimbabwe is not allowed as it triggers local illicit production, marketing and consumption of the product. Issuance of special import licenses has been suspended and we have not been issuing any such permits,” he said.
Mr Tom said despite efforts to combat the vice, charcoal poachers are on the increase.
“A lot still needs to be done to combat production, marketing and consumption of charcoal, given its devastating impact on the environment. We conduct raids but some of the poachers devise new strategies to evade arrest. The charcoal is being supplied from Gudo area bordering Chiredzi where there are a lot of mopani trees. The poachers are now operating during the night to evade arrest,” he said.
The Manica Post also established that some of the charcoal flooding the streets of Manicaland is being illegally imported from Mozambique.
Charcoal is lighter than firewood, thereby making it cheaper to transport over longer distances. At Sakubva (Mutare), Vengere (Rusape) and Gaza (Chipinge) Markets, charcoal vendors with 50kg polythene bags of the product are a permanent feature.
Mrs Eugen Mandizha of Vengere, Rusape, sells a 50kg bag of charcoal for US$12.
A bucket of charcoal fetches US$4 or its equivalent, while a plastic bagfull costs US$1.
“We get our supplies from Chipinge and Chimanimani, but customers prefer hardwood charcoal from Chipinge because it last longer.
“We know it is illegal and often times are raided by law enforcement agents, but we do it to fend for our families. This winter demand is high,” said the mother of two, bemoaning a crackdown on illicit charcoal vending.
Mrs Ellen Dingani, also of Vengere, said she gets her supplies from Mozambique.
“The hardwood charcoal is on demand because it contains double the energy of softwood and burns much hotter. It is much cleaner because it produces very little smoke. Charcoal fire is convenient and easy to manage. It is also cheap, readily available and very affordable, unlike electricity and gas,” she said.
National tree ambassador, Mr Never Bonde said illegal charcoaling is one of the main threats to the ongoing rehabilitation of the ecosystems in Manicaland.
He said charcoal production leads to both deforestation of the forests and destabilisation of natural ecosystems.
Mr Bonde said halting illegal charcoal production should be a key focus for all-stakeholders.
“This is happening at a terrible cost to our forests. It hurts to see our forests being decimated under our watch. We need concrete and deliberate efforts to reduce and eventually prohibit the use of charcoal in cities and towns so that the lucrative charcoal trade does not continue wreaking havoc on our forests,” said Mr Bonde.
He said some of the charcoal poachers wreaking havoc in Manicaland are coming from as far as Harare and Bulawayo where demand for the product is high.
“We are calling for combined efforts from stakeholders to crackdown on illegal charcoal producers, marketers and consumers. Further, Government can review the schedule of fines for perpetrators of environmental crimes,” said Mr Bonde.
Charcoal is produced through earth mounding which involves arranging logs of harvested wood and covering the pile with grass and earth before the wood is set on fire. The covering helps to ensure that air is kept out while the wood burns. The mud makes the wood burn more strongly and form charcoal, a process that takes a couple of days.
Using the right type of wood often determines the quantity and quality of charcoal produced.
