The timber industry, which used to employ more than 10,000 people – with over 40,000 benefiting from downstream industries, has completely collapsed, rendering thousands of people jobless.
Benjamin Madanhire had a promising haulage truck business in Mutare, which survived on lucrative contracts from timber-producing companies in the province. He had contracts with the producers to haul raw timber from plantations in Chimanimani, Nyanga, Vumba and Mutasa to sawmills in the city of Mutare. In just a few years he had bought more than five haulage trucks as business was booming.
But prior to the 2005 general elections some senior politicians encouraged landless people in the province to occupy vast tracts of the timber plantations, a move which led to the annihilation of the once vibrant industry and the impoverishment of the many thousands who depended on it for their livelihoods.
And when the timber plantations caught the cold, many downstream industries not only sneezed but died completely. Madanhire’s haulage business came to a screeching halt. The timber hauling contracts dried up, effectively booting him and other transport entrepreneurs out of business. The timber industry, according to the Timber Producers Federation, used to employ upward of 10,000 workers. Today employment figures have dwindled down to a measly 3,000. Over 40,000 people used to benefited from downstream industries – but many have now closed completely.
Graveyard
Some of the leading timber companies affected by the challenges include Allied Timbers Zimbabwe, Wattle Company and Border Timbers Limited. Mutare Board and Paper Mill closed shop in 2009 with experts saying at least $100 million was needed to revive the company.
Today the industrial area in Mutare which used to house these timber industries now looks like a graveyard, quiet and deserted. And the premises of Mutare Board and Paper Mills (MBPM) have since been turned into a private school. The company’s giant factories still stand forlornly and crumpling, a sad reminder of the state of timber industry in Manicaland. According to the acting regional director in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce for Manicaland, Phineas Sikanda, efforts to resuscitate MBPM had failed to attract investors.
“We hope the timber business will improve soon. We are waiting for the good old times to roll again,” Madanhire said with nostalgia. Though he was bullish about the revival of the timber industry, events on the ground tell a different story as illegal settlers on the plantations are illegally harvesting immature timber. Some are cutting down timber to make way for cropping while others are felling the forests in search of gold. A recent visit to some of the affected areas in Chimanimani revealed a sorry state of affairs. Some illegal settlers have built their homes on fireguards.
Maize patches
Viewed from the Skyline area in Chimanimani, some parts of the once lush timber plantations have now been replaced by a mosaic of charred standing timber and patches of maize and other crops. Over 30,000 ha of timber from across the timber producing areas in the province have been destroyed since the start of the disturbances a decade ago.
A Timber Producers Federation (TPF) Forest Indaba in Mutare recently heard about the shocking collapse of the timber industry, weighed by a plethora of challenges.
“Whereas in 2009 we employed 7 500 employees as TPF, we are now on 3 553 which is what Allied Timbers Zimbabwe employed alone. TPF engaged with government and has compiled statistics on illegal settlements in timber plantations,” said TPF chairman Joseph Kanyekanye, the former CEO of Allied Timbers.
Before the discovery of diamonds, the exotic timber industry was arguably the mainstream industry in Manicaland, contributing significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. But experts have observed that the government neglected it, focusing more on diamonds in Marange – hence the lack of political will to remove illegal settlers from the plantations.
Fires
“The presence of these un-authorised settlers is of great concern, as the majority of fires have been linked to the presence of illegal settlers and the settlers are illegally felling down timber on Charter, Martin and Skyline estates in Chimanimani,” Kanyekanye told a high powered delegation of senior government officials during a tour of timber plantations in Chimanimani.
“The illegal settlers issue in plantation areas has become so dire that it is impeding operations in not only Allied Timber Zimbabwe, but other timber companies such as Border Timbers and Wattle Company, among others,” he added.
According to Timber Producers Federation chief executive officer, Johnson Mhungu, the TPF was legally entrusted by the government with a total of 199,782ha to operate the business of exotic commercial forest plantations.
Rowdy elements
“Land entrustment and land use has not changed so legally all land tabled above remains the business of TPF to operate as mandated. Notwithstanding the legal position of ownership, TPF continues to be haunted by the pressure of illegal settlers and other rowdy elements within plantations and serious steps are being taken to stop and remove illegal settlers,” Mhungu said.
However the government’s position on timber plantations is clear, as they should remain like that and no settlement should be done in plantations. The forest-based land reform policy framework recognises that timber plantations are an acceptable and viable land use option, and as such should be allowed to thrive without conversion to other uses.
A Mutare businessman, Kenneth Saruchera, told journalists in Mutare that it was disturbing that Zimbabwe would soon become a net importer of timber yet it was one of the leading exporters of the product in the region.
However the new Minister of State for Manicaland, Mandi Chimene was optimistic that the industry in the province would be back on its feet if the whole province shared the same vision .
Future looks dim
“As the Resident Minister, I pledge to support you and work with you to develop Manicaland province. I think we share the same vision as residents of Manicaland. We want to see the province developing again with business booming,” Chimene told a meeting with businesspeople in the province recently.
However, out of a total 120,000 hectares in the 1999/2000 period, only 90,000 hectares of commercial estates remain due to persistent fires and settlements. With the country getting more than 90 percent of its timber requirements from Manicaland, the future of the industry looks dim. Production has gone down to a low of only 64 percent of the 1997/8-timber peak, according to the latest figures.
It remains to be seen how Minister Chimene will handle the emotive issue of illegal settlers in timber plantations. But for now the epitaph on the grave of the timber industry in the province is already written – “Here lies a once-vibrant industry”.
Post published in: Environment