Zimpapers Logo

Peter Matika, [email protected]

THE adoption of drone technology by various Government ministries and agencies has emerged as a game changer, significantly enhancing efficiency and effectiveness across multiple sectors, including security, agriculture, wildlife management, and disaster response.

In a bid to modernise operations and improve service delivery, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), the Department of Agricultural, Technical and Extension Services (Agritex), and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks), among other Government agencies, have embraced drone technology.

The use of drones has revolutionised border security, the protection of national infrastructure, and agricultural monitoring practices, proving to be a valuable asset in tackling a range of challenges.

Recently, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) incorporated drones to monitor railway infrastructure, leading to the arrest of four women who were vandalising a railway line by digging up coal ash which used to strengthen the rail formation.

The high-end drones captured videos of the women compromising the structural integrity of the railway line along Msasa in Harare. NRZ security guards immediately pounced on the suspects and apprehended them.

Railway lines that pass over swampy areas are underpinned with charcoal that absorbs moisture and keeps them stable. NRZ public affairs and stakeholder relations manager, Mr Andrew Kunambura said vandals often dig up the charcoal for resale.

“Vandalism has been catastrophic to NRZ infrastructure and the parastatal is losing millions every year. Since the adoption of advanced technology and artificial intelligence (AI), with the first drone operation launched this month yielding results, we are optimistic that there will be a turnaround in our security systems,” he said.

“We recently acquired the drones and the arrests are a demonstration that the NRZ intends to benefit a lot from modern security systems because they are more efficient. We are looking at acquiring and deploying more of the drones.”

Mr Kunambura said the drones are operated by highly trained teams from NRZ’s security and loss control department.

“The utilisation of cutting-edge technology such as drones and AI is crucial for efficient surveillance and monitoring of vast areas, ultimately enhancing the security measures in place,” he said.

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri highlighted the importance of drones in monitoring crops to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

He said by leveraging drones Zimbabwe will be able to track crop health, identify pest infestations, and optimise irrigation practices, thereby ensuring sustainable agricultural practices in alignment with evolving climate conditions.

“Since the procurement of drones, we have mainly used these in direct control of pests, especially quelea birds in areas that are difficult to access by ground teams,” said Prof Jiri.

He said the ministry is working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and a company named Pegara in exploring options for combining the use of AI and drones in chasing quelea birds from crop fields to reduce crop damage.

“This is a work in progress. We are also working on the use of drones in surveillance, mapping of breeding and roosting sites for quelea birds, pest populations, and spraying against migratory pests,” said Prof Jiri.

He noted that several departments in the ministry are also targeting the use of AI and drones in areas of national mapping, crop monitoring, livestock monitoring, conducting livestock census, pasture area conditions, livestock monitoring against rustlers, vegetation mapping, seed grains broadcasting, equipment and infrastructure monitoring, and water resources monitoring among other potential uses.

Prof Jiri said the proactive adoption of drones and AI is not only bolstering security efforts but also empowering farmers to make data-driven decisions for improved crop yield and resilience against climatic variations.

Furthermore, he expressed optimism about the transformative impact of technology on Zimbabwe’s progress towards Vision 2030.

“The innovative deployment of drones is redefining the landscape of security and agriculture in Zimbabwe, setting us on a trajectory towards achieving our long-term developmental objectives outlined in Vision 2030,” said Prof Jiri.
Zimra also recently procured high-tech equipment to enhance security at the country’s ports of entry.

The country has been losing millions of dollars to smuggling rackets which either import or export goods via illegal crossing points and even formal borders evading the payment of duty or export levies.

Zimra’s corporate affairs executive, Mr Gladman Njanji said the organisation is spearheading a Government project involving the acquisition of a drone surveillance system to monitor smuggling activities.

“The hardware for the system which includes the drones and associated equipment will cover all the major border posts and the borderline,” he said.

Mr Njanji said the implementation of the anti-smuggling drone surveillance will result in increased revenue inflows and an improvement in compliance levels.

He said they were looking at boosting day and night surveillance and reconnaissance to gather information and intelligence on criminals’ activities.

Mr Njanji said in the long term, the initiative would reduce illicit trade and the use of illegal crossing points.
The revenue authority has also implemented other advanced security measures at the Beitbridge Border Post such as fast cargo scanners that have resulted in a significant increase in preventing smuggling and other illegal activities.

Zimra recently intercepted smuggled goods in Beitbridge after they were detected by cargo scanners, which were launched by Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Professor Mthuli Ncube in January.

This new order means that all potential hotspots will have increased surveillance, minimising revenue loss.
Zimra currently operates seven drones at the Beitbridge Border Post with more expected. During a recent visit by the Public Accounts Committee, Zimra’s Commissioner for Customs and Excise, Mr Batsirai Chadzingwa, revealed that all 16 State warehouses at the border are overflowing with detained goods.

These goods were mostly intercepted for falling under the restricted or prohibited goods category, including illegal meat products.

Other goods were seized for being smuggled, violating import or export regulations, making false declarations, or declaring incorrect customs tariff classifications.

Zimparks has also deployed drones for wildlife surveillance and anti-poaching efforts. The drones provide aerial views of vast protected areas, making it easier to track animal movements and detect illegal activities.

Three poachers have been shot dead since Zimparks started using drones. The new technology now enables Zimparks rangers to detect poachers and deploy appropriately.

Zimparks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said they had received huge support from the Government to implement the new conservation methods.

“The reason why we are detecting more is that we have employed technology and most of the incursions can now be seen just by the click of a button. That is why we are arresting more poachers,” he said.

“The use of technology has resulted in the decline of poaching activities and we can now deploy appropriately because this technology helps us to establish the kind of manpower needed before going to arrest poachers.”