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Cde Muchinguri

Lloyd Gumbo Senior Reporter
People who start veld fires should be sentenced to a mandatory five years in prison once convicted, says Environment, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri. She also said traditional leaders were allowed to fine culprits before they appeared in magistrate’s courts.

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said this in the Senate on Thursday during a Questions Without Notice session. She was responding to questions from senators who sought to know what Government was doing about veld fires.

“Veld fires have broken out and destroyed over 800 000 hectares of land,” said the minister. “Through these veld fires, we have lost a lot of lives. Recently we reported that six people perished. The worst culprit in veld fires is Mashonaland West province,” she said.

“We are working with police so that they assist us in our awareness programmes as well as to enlighten people that once you start a fire, you are no longer going to be fined $100 or given community service. We are going to come up with sentences that will deter people from committing offences such as starting veld fires to hunt for mice,” she said.

She called for a mandatory sentence of five years in jail.

Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said it was disheartening that despite numerous awareness campaigns against veld fires, people didn’t seem to listen.

She said they wanted traditional leaders to instil discipline in their subjects to avoid starting veld fires. Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the ministry would introduce prizes for traditional leaders with the least fire incidents under their jurisdiction.

“In conjunction with the chiefs, we have decided that such people should be tried and fined by the chiefs. Others are being fined goats and cattle before they go to a criminal court to ensure that they respect the traditional leadership in their area who are responsible for nature conservation,” said Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri.

The minister accused some local authorities of disposing solid waste in rivers, in the process fueling growth of weeds.

“Chitungwiza was discharging raw sewage into the rivers that are now covered with weed. So, once raw sewage has been discharged into rivers weeds grows in seconds and multiply fast.

“We have tried as a department to fight against this weed. We thank Honourable (Patrick) Chinamasa (Finance Minister) for his efforts through ZIM Fund that we have been able to rectify the sewer system in Chitungwiza.”