THE alleged clandestine granting of a tender to logging firm, Teak Baron (Pvt) Ltd by the Hwange Rural District Council to harvest timber in the Mabale area, has sparked outrage from villagers and leaders citing lack of consultation over the deal.
The firm is reportedly owned by Amos Mudoda.
Speaking on behalf of the villagers, Hwange East MP Joseph Bonda flagged the deal, adding that locals had raised serious concerns over the development.
“There is an issue in Mabale, where the Hwange Rural Council has given a tender to someone harvesting timber and is supposed to be doing it along the way where the Gwayi Shangani Dam water pipes will be installed,” he said.
“But the challenge we are having is that people were not consulted, people are just told that this is a government programme and they are powerless to challenge it.”
He said the villagers had plans for various projects in the area, including eco-tourism, tree housing and projects along the Gwayi-Shangani Dam pipeline.
“We are saying if the dam is complete, we will move away from the peasantry farming of keeping cattle and other domestic animals because wild animals will be many.
“Our plan is based on those trees and somebody is harvesting from our community. We have tried to stop him, but traditional leaders tell people that they can't do anything as long as the government has granted the firm permission to log. On the other hand, the Hwange RDC chief executive, Phindile Ncube, also tell people that they cannot do anything,” Bonda said.
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He expressed sadness that trees that have been conserved for centuries by villagers would only benefit them a paltry US$35.
Bonda also revealed that the Forestry Commission of Zimbabwe had arrested Mudoda for harvesting timber within its forestry area and impounded his equipment.
Forestry commission spokesperson Violet Makoto confirmed the case against Mudoda, adding that they had confiscated the company's equipment while he regularises operations.
“Yes, they were granted the tender, but with the Forestry Commission, we only harvest selected trees in the communities, and they are supposed to sign an inventory in that regard. These procedures were not followed,” she said.
Efforts to get a comment from Ncube or Hwange RDC chairperson Pascar Mpofu were fruitless.
Ema Matabeleland North provincial manager Chipo Mpofu Zuze was not answering calls.
