By Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI- Chiredzi Rural District Council (CRDC) recently acquired road construction machinery including the Belarusian Fire Tender which the local authority said would go a long way in fighting veld fires in the district.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony at CRDC Head Offices recently, CRDC Chairperson Aspect Mashingaidze said the equipment, motorized graders and tippers, was going to be used for road rehabilitation across the district.
He said the district was at risk of fires which could emanate from burning of sugarcane during harvest and at times get uncontrollable and the fire engine will be handy.
“I want to thank the President for the devolution initiative which is empowering local authorities. Here in Chiredzi, we are a farming community for both crops and wildlife and the fire tender will help us fight fire hazards. We burn sugarcane during harvest and sometimes the fire might be uncontrollable.
“We also have the grader and tipper which are currently deployed at Sango Border Post where we have more than 800 kilometers of road under rehabilitation,” said Mashingaidze.
Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe who was the guest of honor said the government availed fire tenders to every local authority in order to fight the spread of fires.
“Fire tenders should be distributed to all local authorities in order to fight fire across the country and most were delivered to the respective councils. We are now going to embark on training of the operators,” said Garwe.
Veld Fires are common in Chiredzi during sugarcane harvests as well as during the beginning of farming seasons in communal areas.
CRDC is home to various National Heritage sites including game parks and conservancies which are at risk from veld fires which originates from surrounding communities.
The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Park (GLTCP) which includes South Africa’s Kruger National Park, Mozambique’s Limpopo National Park and Zimbabwe’s Gonarezhou National Park which is to the South Eastern side of the lowveld, Malilangwe Conservation Trust and the Save Valley Conservancy, are all housed by Chiredzi Rural District Council, which makes them responsible when it comes to veld fires from the surrounding farming communities.
