The ManicaPost
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Senior Reporter|
Villagers in Honde Valley are risking life and limb as they wade into the crocodile infested Pungwe River to poach sand.
Young men spend the better part of their day in the deep waters fishing out river sand which they sell to truckers waiting to deliver it to their clients in different areas.
On a regular day, the men can fill one truckload of river sand and get an average of $60 cash.
But filling the truck is an arduous task which requires them to spend hours in the cold water and also risk drowning or being attacked by crocodiles. Speaking to The Manica Post last week, the men said this was their only means of survival as they were unemployed and needed to feed their families.
Tinotenda Chimhungwi (22) has been going into the river for eight months. “There are crocodiles in Pungwe River but tiri kutoshaya pekubata saka tobvataona kuti better kushingirira kupinda murwizi imomu,” he said. (We have lost hope of finding employment, so we would rather brave the dangers of going into the river)
Life in the river is not so easy. The men go in with two 20-litre buckets and sink them to the bottom of the river for several minutes while they fill with sand.
Not only is this an arduous task as the bucket takes time to fill up with sand only while the water remains behind.
According to Courage Maradzamunda (24), who has been plying the trade for a year, the faint-hearted ones have quit after finding the going tough.
“We have seen some men who come and try to work here but have left because it’s difficult work. Some went into gold panning, selling firewood and other trades,” he said.“We, on other hand, do not solely rely on this trade. We also do banana farming, which does not require us to be in the fields on a daily basis. We also do fishing in the river.”
“At least I am doing honest work and I believe God will protect me as I do this instead of going out to steal. My children go to school and they eat everyday, so I cannot complain,” said Wadzanai Macheka.
Four hundred kilometres long, Pungwe River rises below Mount Nyangani in the Eastern Highlands and flows south-eastwards into Mozambique.
While the river has been one of cleanest sources of water for Mutare and a source of livelihood for hundreds of households along it, the sand poaching activities could lead to a serious disaster if left unchecked.
Not only will it destroy the environment and leave the city with less water, it will affect the various industries that depend on the river downstream in Mozambique.
