Children being used as crime scapegoats
MARCH 24 is the last day that Praymore Sithole sat in class as the country went into lockdown to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thus last Friday marked exactly four months since primary and secondary school children from across the country have been away from their schools.
As the Covid-19 global threat persists, schools remain closed.
Like many other children his age, little Praymore has suddenly been transformed into a reliable firewood courier for his family.
Traversing the undulating terrain up the Christmas Pass from his Chikanga home in Mutare with a heavy load of firewood on his head is now his daily routine.
Apparently, beelines of firewood couriers made up of young boys and girls of primary and secondary school going age descending the hills and mountains surrounding the eastern border city into different residential areas are now a common sight since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
The Manica Post understands that parents and guardians of the children that are fetching firewood in the different forests around Mutare believe that on moral grounds, it would be difficult for law enforcement agents to arrest a minor for firewood poaching.
Therefore the use of minors who are not in school at the moment has undoubtedly exacerbated the poaching of firewood around the eastern border city.
When our team bumped into Praymore and tried to engage him as prospective clients, hunger and fatigue were written all over his young face and he tried to keep our conversation very brief.
The high prices of gas and electricity have seen residents increasing their reliance on firewood as a source of energy for household use.
In many homes, especially in high-density suburbs, electricity is now being used for lighting only.
In areas around Christmas Pass, Vumba, Burma Valley, Fern Valley, Weirmouth, Arda Transau and Chigodora, wanton destruction of forests during the ongoing lockdown has been on the increase.
The forests are quickly disappearing and for some reason, the indigenous trees are targeted more than the exotic ones.
Different species of flora are being destroyed for short term energy benefits.
Some species popular with foreign and domestic tourists, especially the ‘Disney Trees of Vumba’, are fast disappearing as firewood poachers play hide and seek with law enforcement agents.
In fact, for the ‘Disney Trees’ near Castle Beacon and Tony’s Coffee Shop in Vumba, the devastation is horrific as trees are being callously cut down day-in day-out.
People who cut down trees for commercial purposes need authority from the Forestry Commission.
Residents can still cut trees on their premises and may burn the wood for domestic use, but cannot sell it without permission.
Manicaland provincial forestry manager, Mr Philip Tomu concurred that children are being used to ferry firewood in order to evade arrests.
“It is sad that the presence of children at home owing to the Covid-19 lockdown has seen a steady rise in the number of them being used as couriers of firewood around Mutare.
Firewood is a source of energy for over two billion people worldwide and about 90 percent of people in Africa.
As the world grapples with human life safety in the midst of the novel Coronavirus, it appears like the need to keep an eye on natural resources exploitation systems has been relegated to a less important level in humanity’s hierarchy of needs.
Apart from merely negating the well-being of the environment in these crazy times, unavailability of an adequate human resource base in environment watchdog organisations owing to Covid-19 has further strained efforts to monitor the misuse of environmental resources.
“Our efforts to monitor the situation and take the necessary security measures have been hampered by the Covid-19 lockdown. Just like any other industry, we are operating with skeletal staff and our movements are limited,” said Mr Tomu.
Friends of Vumba Trust member, Ms Sue Ingram said, “A very notable impact is the huge increase witnessed in illegal snaring and hunting with dogs, which includes burning the grasslands and forests to drive game out.
“Wood is being illegally harvested for charcoal making and building timber. We have recorded more reports of children being involved in all these illegal activities,” she said.
Chimanimani Tourism Association (CTA) leader and environmental safety proponent Ms Jane High spoke about how illegal gold mining is also impacting on indigenous forests.
“I do not understand the logic behind the felling of indigenous trees and the destruction of riverbeds in search of small amounts of gold. We have placed unsustainable stress on the ecosystems, the very ecosystems which provide us with water, clean air and healthy soils, which are all indispensable for our survival,” said Ms High.
Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa conceded that the use of children in ferrying firewood is presenting a complex scenario to law enforcement agents.
However he said while the timeframe for “Operation Huni Wadziwanepi” has lapsed on paper, efforts to curtail wanton wood poaching are ongoing.
“It is indeed a complex situation. Our hands are tied when it comes to arresting minors. We have seen many minors ferrying firewood across Manicaland, we continue calling upon parents and guardians to desist from doing using these youngsters in such activities,” said Inspector Kakohwa.
A child under the age of seven may not be tried for a criminal offence as such a child is irrebuttably presumed to be incapable of committing a crime.
On the other hand, a child between the ages of seven and fourteen can be prosecuted provided that the Prosecutor-General has given his consent to the prosecution.
However, such a child is also presumed to be devoid of the capacity to commit a crime and the State must prove that the child in question was sufficiently mature to understand and that he or she understood the wrongfulness of his or her conduct.
As the unabated cutting down of trees persists, Zimbabwe is on the brink of desertification due to deforestation, which is estimated to be taking place at an alarming rate of around 330 000 hectares of land per year.