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Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]

DESPITE repeated warnings by the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) not to engage in stream bank cultivation, a practice that causes land degradation, residents continue to grow crops along water bodies.

Every rainy season, BCC battles the scourge of stream bank cultivation and in extreme cases, the council reacts by slashing tasselling maize planted along waterways and destroying crops such as groundnuts and sweet potatoes.

The onset of the rainy season has activated the 2024/25 cropping season and urban farmers are busy cultivating trying to take advantage of the available moisture from the recent rains.

Most urban farmers are cultivating tracts of land in open spaces, some of which are designated for future infrastructural development.

Some of Bulawayo’s urban farmers are embarking on stream bank cultivation, a serious environmental challenge and a major driver of siltation affecting streams, rivers and dams in the country.

Chronicle spoke to some urban farmers who said that the promise of good rains, as predicted by the Meteorological Services Department (MSD) is spurring them to cultivate on any available land — including along streams and rivers.

MSD has predicted a normal to above-normal rainfall season.
“I have been farming on this piece of land for over 10 years. I don’t cultivate too close to the river. This year I planted maize, groundnuts and sweet potatoes,” said a farmer who wanted to be identified as Mrs Manyuka from the North End suburb.

The piece of land where she was working is along the banks of Matsheumphlophe stream, commonly known as Mazai River, where the waterway snakes itself between Paddonhurst and Tegela suburbs from parts of the outer city centre such as Centenary Park.

Streambank cultivation in Bulawayo suburbs

Mrs Manyuka said she cannot afford to stay at home when she can cultivate the land and hopefully reap a good harvest in the event Bulawayo receives significant rains.

“Other residents are busy working in their fields and I can’t just sit at home and do nothing. The rains promise to be abundant this season and I must work hard to put food on the table for my children,” she said.

BCC, through Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube, periodically issues statements warning residents not to cultivate within 30 metres of the verge of any spring vleis, sponge, marsh, swampy or reed bed.

“In terms of the Bulawayo (Protection of Lands and Natural Resources) By-Laws Section 13 (1), no person shall cultivate within 30 metres of the verge of any spring vleis, sponge, marsh, swamp or reed bed or within 30 metres of the high flood level of any body of artificially conversed water or within 10 metres along the road verges,” reads a statement on the council website.

According to Mr Dube council puts white stone beacons to demarcate the areas where cultivation is prohibited.
Cultivators exceeding stone beacons risk having their crops destroyed.

“In terms of Section 10 (4) of the By-Laws, no compensation shall be paid by the council in respect of any crops destroyed,” Mr Dube told the Chronicle.

Mr Christopher Dube

Section 227, clause 81(1) of the third schedule of the Urban Councils Act gives local authorities powers to make by-laws on a number of issues including prohibition or regulation of land cultivation and keeping of animals.

Mr Mbuso Malinda of Pumula East, would rather take that chance than let the prospects of a good harvest pass him by.

“Last season was a bad one. The drought hit us really hard and we got nothing from our fields. This season promises to be better and that’s why I’ll risk planting near the stream,” said Mr Malinda.

He says the reason residents cultivate near streams and rivers is to salvage something in the event of a drought.
According to the Environmental Management Act Chapter as read with Statutory Instrument 7 of 2007 on Environmental

Impact Assessment and Ecosystems Protection Regulations, it is an offence to degrade rivers and banks through unsustainable practices such as stream bank cultivation.

Any person who contravenes this statutory requirement shall be liable to a fine not exceeding level 10.
BCC and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) have in the past held awareness campaigns on the dangers of stream bank cultivation, but some farmers are not taking heed of their advice.

Those who have taken the advice to cultivate at designated places are part o

Environmental Management Authority (EMA)

f urban farmers who benefitted under the Intwasa programme to enhance food security.

Yesterday in Pumula East (Ward 19), residents received maize seed from the Government to capacitate urban farmers to grow the crop.

The farmers are encouraged not to practice stream bank cultivation.
In its latest communique, the Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union (ZFU) urged urban farmers to follow the dictates of local municipalities.

“Stream bank cultivation is prohibited in Zimbabwe and it causes pollution of water sources, and as ZFU, we equally don’t condone farming in all undesignated areas. Farmers should follow the dictates of their local authorities.”

EMA discourages the growing of crops and application of fertilisers within the river banks as it leads to water pollution through enrichment from dissolved nutrients that stimulate the growth of aquatic plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.
Bulawayo United Residents’ Association (Bura) chairperson Mr Winos Dube said residents should heed the warning by the council.

“Our advice is for residents to avoid going beyond the designated places so that their crops are not destroyed. It’s a pity that for the past decades, we have had cases of residents complaining that the council destroyed their mature crops,” said Mr Dube.