Calvin Manika
DRIVING down the Independence road in Hwange is one of the best drives in the mining town, but as one nears the turn to Vehicle Inspection Depot (VID), the scenery changes.
There is massive deforestation and degradation of the land.
Locals have converted the whole area along a river stream which pass through the highly dense vegetation into pits and ovens.
The area has been turned into a brick moulding industry.
The site stretches for more than 5 kilometres.
Last year, minister of small and medium enterprises toured the area last year, but nothing has been done by the government so far.
With the closure of brick making companies and high rate of construction in Empumalanga residential area, locals have taken over to make bricks.
This has resulted in self employment in the area.
Most of these ovens are run through syndicates or partnerships.
This publication paid a visit to the site and noted small and heavy trucks load tonnes of bricks for construction.
The brick makers have been officially evicted by the local council and the Hwange Colliery Company Limited, citing that the operations are illegal.
“There is considerable damage to the environment and the activities threaten the future generations,” said a concerned citizen.
More than 500 locals who are employed there have their hopes hinged on Nyoni’s visit and hope the small enterprises boss will bring a turnaround phase in their industry.
On her part, the minister promised to resolve the issue.
Brick making has resulted in the reduction of crime and conflict among the people in the neighbourhood.
Most of the families have managed to survive during these economic trying times despite the decrease of people constructing.
Brick makers were advised to form a committee to meet the district officials in the ministry of small and medium enterprises.
Once the issue of land is resolved, a proper coordinated working framework must follow to ring fence all the projects done at the site.
During the environmental assessment in 2018 the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) issued more than 250 tickets to people and businesses that are illegally moulding bricks in Hwange without proper documentation.
Brick moulding activities in Hwange increased over the weeks soon after the Hwange Local Board, under its expansion projects, availed housing some few years ago, a situation that has given rise to high demand for building supplies such as bricks.
The minister called upon local authorities to intervene by allocating land to allow proper brick moulding to be done in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.
Underperformance of companies like Hwange Colliery Company Limited and lack of job security in many Chinese companies in Hwange has escalated the rate of self-employment.
Reporting in the Hwange Colliery Company’s publication ’Hwange Weekly’ in 2018 Hwange Colliery Company Limited’s three departments namely Estates, Security and Loss Control as well as Safety, Health and Environmental Quality (SHEQ) moved in to action an order from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), directing the company to ensure the activities of illegal brick-moulding within the concession area stops to avoid further land degradation.
According to a report from the council’s security and loss control department, their investigations revealed among other issues that up to 30 different brick making sites were scattered in the triangle between General Office and Glow Garage up to Truck Stop area, people involved were locals which included current and ex HCCL employees, HCCL widows, unemployed youths and individuals from outside the concession area and that all interviewed persons admitted that they had no documentation which authorised them to carryout brick moulding on company premises.
“We are trying to eke a living from this job. It is labour intensive but we have families back home, so we must work. The only work I can do is brick moulding as other companies doesn’t pay a living wage”, said Christopher Mpala.
Joint operations which were carried out by the council, police and estates stopped the brick makers.
The brick makers were given time to remove their bricks from site and those that resisted were evicted.
