Work can be a violent experience for Zimbabwe’s forest rangers
AS cases of poaching rise across Africa’s protected areas, some governments have responded with a military approach to nature conservation. From as early as the mid-1980s, military forces were used to enforce conservation, as were military strategies and technologies and paramilitary personnel.
In 2011, about 165 South African soldiers were deployed to the Kruger National Park, and soldiers were deployed to Zimbabwe’s national parks in 2015.
Deployment of soldiers and use of military tactics increased the number of arrests and poachers killed but have not reduced the number of rhinos and elephants poached.
Militarised conservation has had unfortunate consequences.
Sometimes poaching suspects died before getting their right to a trial. For example, between 2008 and 2013, about 300 suspected poachers were killed in the Kruger National Park. Communities living in and around protected areas also suffer unintended consequences such as being harassed by rangers for accessing resources.
Though often hailed as heroes, park rangers have also been victims of militarised conservation.
Not only are they at direct risk of death in the line of duty, they also experience violence as implementers of policy.
This aspect has not received much attention from researchers.
I studied the experiences of forest rangers in Sikumi Forest Reserve in Zimbabwe in 2016.
I found out that forest rangers were subjected to occupational violence by their employers. Occupational violence refers to all acts or threats of physical violence, intimidation or verbal abuse, including exposure to life-threatening risks at the workplace. I further found out that exposure of forest rangers to violence contributed to the persistence of everyday violence such as aggressive policing. These findings also have to be taken into account when considering alternative approaches to conservation.
Forest rangers and violence at work
My study in Sikumi Forest Reserve took place from April to July 2016. The reserve is managed by the State through the Forestry Commission. The area was primarily reserved to protect endangered tree species and fragile Kalahari soils.
The forest, however, shares a permeable border with Hwange National Park, providing continuity of wildlife movement. This means wildlife also has to be managed by the forest rangers. One of the key duties of Sikumi Forest rangers, as specified by the Forest Act, is to combat timber and wildlife theft.
During the four months that I became a 14th member of the antipoaching team in the reserve, I observed that forest rangers experience occupational violence through violent training. Though it is necessary for them to learn techniques for their safety, training is often conducted in a manner that is overly violent.
They are subjected to direct physically harmful punishments and verbal harassment. “After training we are angry!” was a common statement among forest rangers, suggesting the emotional effect of a violent training process.
Training instructors defended their methods as part of hardening forest rangers and instilling discipline. Discipline is fundamental in any paramilitary establishment or organisation, but in Sikumi Forest Reserve it systematically entrenches occupational violence against forest rangers.
For instance, discipline prohibited forest rangers from questioning orders even if those orders threatened their wellbeing and safety at the workplace. As a result, forest rangers suffered in silence.
They also had to work with obsolete equipment that exposed them to occupational hazards.
The firearms used by forest rangers were old and incapable of matching modern automatic rifles used by poachers; neither could they efficiently respond to animal attacks.
Instead of protecting forest rangers, these firearms exposed them to life-threatening danger. For several years, requests for more suitable firearms or servicing of the current ones were not addressed by the Forestry Commission.
Forest rangers additionally conducted daily anti-poaching activities without adequate protective clothing. All 13 rangers had worn-out or oversize uniforms, and improvised protective hats. They had received a donation of boots from a local nongovernmental organisation. But while I was there, two rangers still had to wear ordinary shoes which were not appropriate for the job.
Deployment to anti-poaching camps was done without provisions and adequate water.
When water supplies ran out, rangers turned to wildlife waterholes, potentially exposing themselves to zoonotic diseases. But these camp experiences were defended as part of hardening forest rangers.
The ripple effect of occupational violence
Occupational violence frustrates forest rangers. Such frustration often turns to anger, and anger to hostile policing. A group of forest rangers explained: “Imagine going to work hungry then come across illegal activities. If the person runs away you have to chase them for more than 2km. Maybe you are tired because you have already walked 20km in the heat with no food, no water and poor shoes. Guess what is going to happen when we finally catch that person? We will teach him a lesson.”
These views show that experiences of occupational violence can provoke a violent reaction to illegal activities, resulting in violent policing tendencies.
This study was conducted in 2016, but the circumstances of forest rangers in the reserve have not changed. And there are similar reports from Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania.
Resources for conservation in Zimbabwe are limited because of longstanding economic and political challenges but authorities could do better to meet the needs of forest rangers.
THE use of excessive force with impunity by the police against civilians has, over the years, become a recurring feature in Zimbabwe. As recently as January 5, 2021, alleged reports circulated on social media that a police officer had fatally struck a nine-month-old baby with a baton stick during skirmishes with commuter omnibuses at a local bus stop, sparking widespread outrage.
It was subsequently reported by the police that an incident had taken place, but that the baby had not been fatally wounded as was previously reported.
Even though the police indicated that no child or person was harmed, the admission that one of their officers used a baton stick to smash the windscreen of an illegal commuter omnibus, a practice that has become characteristic of traffic enforcement, raises questions about extra-judicial punishment and public safety on the roads.
The police have become a law unto themselves, operating outside the provisions of the Police Act and the Constitution, without any consequences for their actions. This occurs at the expense of the public which continues to be placed in harm's way as a result of such rogue behaviour. Police leadership has been conspicuously quiet about these illegal law enforcement tactics by their officers; thus, by inference, indicating a tacit approval of such antics.
On September 24, 2020, The Herald reported that armed police officers had opened fire on an unregistered speeding commuter omnibus, near Juru Growth Point, along the Mutoko-Nyamapanda Highway, resulting in the death of one passenger and the infliction of serious injury on another. The police did not report any remedial action taken against its officers or what sort of justice was provided to the victims.
On October 13, 2020, it was reported that seven police officers threw teargas canisters into a bus full of passengers at the Harare Exhibition Park.
The incident was captured on video and went viral on social media platforms, sparking public outrage at the excessive use of force by police officers.
Passengers aboard the bus could be seen leaping from the windows in an effort to escape the harmful gas.
Soon thereafter, it was reported that the police had stopped the bus pursuant to allegations that the driver had quarrelled with passengers and did not possess a driver’s licence.
Upon approaching the bus driver, who refused to cooperate, the police officers threw teargas canisters into the bus in order to flush out the driver.
Having been approached by a gathering crowd voicing its discontent at the shocking scene, the police officers sped off in their vehicle.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the incident and stated that one of the offending officers had been identified and arrested in connection with the incident.
The use of excessive force against civilians by members of the police force has persistently been an issue that civil society has complained about, with no corrective measures being taken by the authorities. This raises questions about policing and human rights protection. The police would better serve their citizenry if they observed the guiding principles set out by the Judiciary. These established principles ought to inform the operations of the police in their engagement with civilians, particularly as it relates to the employment of force in the execution of their duties.
In the recently-decided case of Chiriseni v The Commissioner-General of Police & 2 Others, which was handed down under judgment number HH 450/20 in July 2020, it was stated that:
“…the role of the police is to police situations where they are protecting the civilian body from a threat.
“This is why the provisions in the Constitution provide for a non-partisan intervention from the police force. This means that the role of the police is to protect members of the public from a threat in the safest way possible.
“That is the uppermost reason for involving or calling up a member of the Police to attend to a scene. The police Officer is charged with one chief and primary duty to care and that is to protect civilians from an external threat; be it one posed by other civilians or other external force.”
The above construct is useful given the plethora of cases in which the police have sought to escape liability for acts of force or violence against civilians based on their blameworthiness or purported legal liability.
The relevant test as outlined above, is that police officers, despite the civilian(s) being in contravention of the law, be guided by a prevailing duty of care towards the public and an obligation to protect them.
In the case of Mapingure v Minister of Home Affairs and Others which was handed down under judgment number SC 22/14 in the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe in 2014, the court alluded to the preventative functions of the police in the following manner;
“…the policeman is not only a deterrent and a detective but also a protector…”
The duty of care incumbent upon the police is not a take away from the other functions of the police which are well enshrined in section 219 of the Constitution.
In terms of section 219, the police service is mandated with the following duties:
(a) detecting, investigating and preventing crime;
(b) preserving the internal security of Zimbabwe;
SCHOOL uniform maker Noah Mauto sits on a black couch in his home, writing down the details of a modest client order. “It’s better than nothing,” he said. The 44-year-old’s factory also makes tracksuits and blazers.
But the extended product line has offered little cushion against the blow that COVID-19 lockdowns have dealt to his business.
“We are surviving on very small orders, sometimes even from individuals,” he said.
But not all Zimbabwean businesses are suffering the same fate as Mauto’s.
Kerita Choga (34) launched an errandrunning service, Tuma Kerri, in November. Within that short time, she said she has gained hundreds of customers — mostly from the Zimbabwean diaspora — looking to buy goods, including gifts, and to have them delivered to family and friends inside the county.
“The numbers are looking good and I am very encouraged,” she said.
The two businesses underscore how COVID-19 uncertainty is pushing some firms to the brink, while others are identifying new opportunities in the southern African nation — and even laying the groundwork for greater growth this year.
Barely hanging on
Like many other nations, Zimbabwe has intermittently ordered restrictions and closed schools since March of last year in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.
When schools were reopened on November 9, Mauto thought his fortunes had finally changed for the better.
His optimism, though, proved premature.
Authorities shut schools again in December after some institutions experienced a surge in COVID-19 infections.
Since the close of 2020, Zimbabwe has seen an exponential increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases, though with limited and erratic testing, the data is foggy.
Confirmed infections currently top 34 700 — more than double the total for all of last year — and the disease is known to have killed at least 1 353 people in the country, according to Johns Hopkins University.The death toll from COVID-19 for the whole of 2020 was recorded at 409.
A nationwide lockdown ordered on January 5 was recently extended through midFebruary.
“The month of January is traditionally one when we make a lot of money,” said Mauto.
“Under normal circumstances as a business, we would be swamped with orders and struggling to supply everyone.”
Even if business had held up, Mauto said, he would struggle to source enough fabric because his suppliers are not considered essential businesses.
“I really want COVID to end now,” Mauto says. “Or the lockdown itself.”
He is far from alone.
“The lockdown has drastically affected businesses. The tourism and hospitality sector is the hardest hit,” Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries former president Sifelani Jabangwe said.
But official sectors mask the deeper pain inflicted on Zimbabwe’s informal economy, where some 90% of the country’s residents eke out a living and where businesses are not considered “essential” and therefore exempt from COVID-19 restrictions.
“The informal sector players have been affected because they live hand to mouth,” said Jabangwe, adding that they have seen their earnings take a major hit during the crisis.
Finding new opportunities
The Zimbabwean diaspora is believed to be more than three million people strong. Together, they contribute to remittances the country’s central bank estimates hit an all-time high of $1 billion in 2020.
The World Bank reckons remittances were even higher — reaching $1,7 billion in 2020 and accounting for nearly 11% of the country’s economic growth.
Those funds are often an essential lifeline, given that Zimbabwe was mired in an economic crisis before COVID-19 struck and that it has only grown more financially fragile since.
“I realised there was a huge number of Zimbabweans in the diaspora who struggle to get things done back home when they remit funds,” Choga said.
“Some have old parents that can no longer run around to do errands.
“I realised I could be a bridge to connect the services and the client.”
In just three months, Choga has taken on five people to service clients who want goods purchased and delivered to friends and family in five other cities around Zimbabwe.
“Although the operating environment is difficult, we managed to create partners in other towns to ensure that our clients continue to receive service, get value for money and business remains afloat,” she said.
But as always, the pandemic presents unique challenges.
A founder in the trenches, Choga is currently personally running an average of ten errands for her clients per week around Harare — a number limited by curfews that mandate shops to close at 3pm and people be indoors by 6pm.
“Lockdown has impacted on movement.
“Some errands need a police clearance and sometimes we don’t have it,” she said.
But that hasn’t deterred her from positioning herself for bigger growth this year.
Choga is developing an application to make it even easier for clients to access her services, she said.
And she is currently in the process of registering her firm to move it out of the informal economy and put it on firmer footing.
Hers is not the only pandemic startup eyeing even bigger opportunities on the horizon.
Tatenda Jakarasi is the co-founder of Harare-based food delivery service Munch. Launched in March 2020, the company has enjoyed brisk business ever since.
“From the first lockdown in March, business has really been good.
“The whole of last year we saw growth in our business right up to December,” Jakarasi said.
But while people are stuck at home and eager to order food, Jakarasi said business has slowed during the current lockdown because restaurants must close at 3pm.
“Most customers prefer to order food from around 5pm to 6pm and have dinner.
“That has caused a marginal decline in business,” he explained.
But he sees the setback as minor. “I am seeking to raise up to $500 000 to grow the business,” he said.
But that kind of seed capital — a stretch before the pandemic — may be even harder to come by as long as COVID-19 uncertainty looms over the troubled southern African nation.
INCREASED promiscuity in the transit town of Chivhu has prompted a local arts group, Team Folks Crew (TFC), to produce a film titled Muroora Mutsva (New DaughterIn-Law), to educate the youths about the dangers of infidelity.
The film’s synopsis revolves around a young girl, Jane, (Rejoice Chiduku), the main actor in her early twenties, who grew up in poverty and engaged in promiscuous relationships.
She dated her boyfriend‘s father and his friend at once, unaware that the three were related. The promiscuity was discovered after Jane got married and eloped to Lloyd (Trynos Masunda) and the marriage ended prematurely.
The producer of the hour-long film Garikai Mptasi told NewsDay Life & Style yesterday that in their quest to educate the youth on the dangers of promiscuity, they engaged prominent figures such as teachers and police officers to help drive the message home.
“The movie was inspired by the various challenges the youths are facing during the modern-day era where technology has overridden cultural beliefs and young people are disobeying their parents and engaging in immoral activities,” he said.
“Girls are eloping and rushing into early marriages. It is, however, creating problems in those marriages because they would not be mature enough to face marital problems or to shoulder the responsibilities of parenthood.”
The co-producer Masunda said TFC, a group formed by youths with various talents was committed to bringing about behaviour change in the youths through arts.
“We had to come up with the film to caution those who are not yet in early marriage particularly the girl children who were engaging in prostitution with crossborder truck drivers exposing themselves to sexually transmitted diseases,” he said.
“We took over three years to be able to release the film because we did not have sponsorship. Due to financial constraints, we could not meet the expenses so we had to stop production midway on several occasions.”
Masunda said they were working on another film titled Munyika which explores socio-economic challenges in communities.
One of the actors in the film Virginia Hundi (pictured), a teacher at Liebenberg High School, said she was proud to be part of the youth who volunteered to showcase their talents for the betterment of society.
“We are not making any profit out of filmmaking, but it is about youth who are passionate about transforming their community so we had to support them,” she said.
“The project is self-funded. We are appealing for financial support from wellwishers.”
ORGANISERS of the annual PPC Zimbabwe-sponsored Zimbabwe Music Awards 2021 (Zima) yesterday said they had agreed with their partners to go ahead with the awards ceremony virtually in accordance with the COVID-19 restrictions.
There was hope that the current national lockdown would have been eased so that guests would be able to attend the ceremony next week at Newlands Country Club in Harare.
Artistes across genres are set to be honoured for their creativity and prowess at the awards ceremony to be held virtually under the theme Celebrating Voices.
The awards spokesperson Benjamin Nyandoro yesterday said the ceremony would be streamed live at 8pm on February 20 on the Zima Facebook page, among other music and entertainment-related digital platforms.
“Going virtual will afford music fans and followers to connect to the prestigious event from wherever they are at their convenience.
“We invite all stakeholders, particularly the musicians beyond those nominated, to connect and join the celebrations,” he said.
“Our esteemed partners have further pledged to afford their respective customers a treat with exciting giveaways on the day.
“Zima 2021 will also be streaming on all our partners’ Facebook pages.”
Nyandoro said the year 2020 tested the music sector beyond measure.
“Though it may be regarded as a tight race, we take it that the year 2020 was a year for creatives.
“We had a torrid time arriving at four names shortlisted per category out of 1 235 submissions,” he said.
“We have given deserving attention this far.
“The vetting team and judges did a sterling job.
“I am quite impressed with the nominees, I believe they are a true reflection of the year for creatives.”
Nyandoro said for this year’s edition, they introduced an interesting model which ensured that all interested artistes conveniently submitted their works.
“Established and budding talents have released music this year, more promoters have emerged and new digital platforms enabled our music to be exported beyond.
“We look forward to an interesting awards night,” he said.
Nyandoro said the number of submissions warranted a befitting awards ceremony.
“Lockdown also came with a lot of time for creativity, great stuff.
“We had some categories with over 70 submissions and we have to shortlist five nominees,” he said.
“The following awards — Retro 1, Retro 2, and Lifetime Achievement — have no nominations as they will be announced on the night of the awards.”
Dancehall singers Poptain, Jah Master and Nutty O are dominating the list of nominees with four nominations each.
The last edition had budding Afropop artiste Isheanesu “Ishan” Chigagura as the biggest winner of the night after he scooped three gongs (the Best Male Artiste of the Year, the Best Newcomer and the Best Afro-pop Musician) at a ceremony held at the Country Club in Newlands, Harare.
The late Chiwoniso Maraire and Simon Chimbetu posthumously won the Zimbabwe Icon Retro Artiste Award while Andy Brown clinched the Lifetime Achievement Award.