The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa
Chipinge Correspondent
OWING to restricted movement of people during the Covid-19 induced lockdowns, Communal Areas Management Programmes for Indigenous Resources’ (CAMPFIRE) projects that benefited the Mahenye community in Ward 30 of Chipinge South have stalled.
With little CAMPFIRE activities taking place in the area, developmental programmes stopped as revenue collections dwindled.
The local communities were benefiting from CAMPFIRE projects due to their proximity to the Trans-frontier (Gonarezhou) National Park.
Tourism, sport hunting and photography are the major sources of revenue for CAMPFIRE.
Mahenye CAMPFIRE chairperson, Mr Partson Chinyama, said they stopped some of the their progammes because of financial constraints.
“The Covid-19 pandemic hit us hard as it resulted in the limited movement of tourists and recreational hunters in our area owing to the national lockdowns. Local communities profited from such activities as the benefits to develop the area cascaded down to them under CAMPFIRE schemes.
“This had seen us get involved in the building of ECD centres and a clinic while we also provided fuel for the ambulances. All these programmes have taken a knock because of little activity going on,” he said.
Mr Chinyama added that local communities are allocated 55 percent of the funds generated by CAMPFIRE activities.
“We get 55 percent direct payment from the safari operator. The remainder of the funds goes to the local authority and CAMPFIRE Association for administration purposes. Our neighbours, Ward 29, were also benefitting from the scheme,” he said.
CAMPFIRE is committed to helping rural communities manage natural recourses for their own local development through voluntary participation in poverty alleviation programmes.
