By Bonelwa Nogqaza
As winter approaches, village farmers anxiously anticipate the losses they will suffer due to unexpected and random veldfires which are often sparked by unknown individuals of the community. The community does acknowledge that in some cases they are intentionally ignited by bee harvesters as a tactic to scare away bees. However, these fires are often abandoned allowing the wind to spread them uncontrollably leading to devastating consequences. The past few weeks have been extremely devastating for rural farmers who are engaged in both livestock and maize production. The livestock that often wander around in the veld or sleep in the forests when there are fire outbreaks, which happen mostly at midnight, often catch the smoke and many of them, especially sheep, are burnt and die.
Figure 1: Image of the smoke on the mountains near Tsolo (Taken: July 2024)
Recently, we have heard stories of a successful farmer in Qumbu, which is a few kilometres away from Tsolo, because of a fire that started out of nowhere, he ended up losing over 100 of his sheep that had gone for grazing at the time the fire broke out. The sorrow and hurt brought this man to his knees because of the unimaginable consequences this had on his family and mental health. He says he has been saving and growing livestock for years, and to lose it all at such a rapid incident broke him and his family. As shown in the news, he was sobbing over his long-term livestock investments. However, the case of livestock loss due to veld fires is not unique to him, there are other cases in other provinces where farmers were broadcasted sobbing over the loss that they have encountered since the winter season began. One case in point is in Bloemfontein, where a farmer lost thousands of his livestock. On the news, they were shown having been burnt down to ashes and some could barely move, bringing sorrow to the victims of this loss.
Similar cases of veld fires have been observed in the village where I am stationed. There have been numerous instances where villagers had to wake up in the middle of the night to assist in controlling fires that break out, starting from the forest point or section, which is not far from the residents. The culprits behind these rapid veld fires remain unknown. However, when I interacted with local farmers whose gardens were affected, they expressed suspicions of jealousy towards those who started these fires. They alleged that it is mainly those who are not farming that start the fires, waiting for the winter season to destabilize those who have planted and ensure they do not harvest anything. While some fires may be started innocently, there are cases where honey bee harvesters are suspected of starting fires in the forest to scare away bees and obtain honey. In other cases, veld fires remain untraced. Nevertheless, the local farmers are always the ones who bear the brunt of this incident.
I had a conversation with a prominent farmer in the village who owns an extensive 40 hectares of land. She mentioned that just a few weeks before the fire outbreak, she had hired a group of unemployed youth to work as seasonal harvesters. She highlighted that despite their efforts, they successfully harvested a substantial amount of maize, surpassing previous years' yields. However, in a devastating turn of events, her fields and those of her neighbours caught fire just a week later, following the harvest. A group of community members rushed to the scene to assist in controlling the blaze. Although the fire did not approach the residential areas, it still destroyed a significant portion of the fields and fencing. A few sheep succumbed to smoke inhalation and burns. The farmer emphasized that veld fires remain a persistent threat to the village farmers, particularly during the winter months. Before proceeding with the next season's plantations, they must first revive and re-fence their gardens, a process that is both costly and demotivating for many. She further revealed that when a garden is ravaged by fire, it typically takes years of effort to restore its productivity and health. The soil must undergo enrichment processes before replanting can occur. Moreover, the frustrations were mainly voiced by those whose livestock lost their grazing land, warning that this will have severe consequences for their livestock, as they will now be forced to graze on people's gardens due to the burnt grass.
Another farmer who unfortunately had his garden burning down before harvesting expressed how hurt he was for this loss considering that he had already planned how he wanted to utilize and sell some of the maize. He emphasized that he had taken a loan so that he could plant this year hoping that he was going to reap more and manage to sell for profits. However, unfortunate circumstances such as fires always come as a threat to farmers.
Figure 2: Fire beater donations by Merensky in Mhlakulo Village (Taken: August 2024)
In response to these outbreaks of fire, Merensky, a timber company that plays a significant role in protecting forests from bushfires, producing raw timber, and ensuring their sustainability, held an urgent meeting with the community in Mhlakulo village, under ward 21 of the Mhlontlo local municipality in the OR Tambo region. As a member, I attended the meeting, which was held at the local traditional leader’s house, Emzini Wenkosi, to observe and listen to the company’s message.
Many people at the meeting expected that there would be a possibility for immediate employment as a result of this intervention. The reason for this is that at previous meetings with a different company individuals from the community were hired on the spot to be a part of a water system project for the local schools bathrooms. On our way to attending this meeting, we saw people flocking to the meeting as they didn’t want to miss out on an important employment opportunity.
The meeting had over 40 attendees of all ages, spanning from the unemployed youths to the middle-aged people. The reality of unemployment and desperation is all-pervasive in Tsolo. This also signals the dire situation of hunger that our rural communities are confronted with, to such an extent that people are willing to take any job opportunity that is presented to them just to feed their families. Whenever there are meetings like this, people are always willing to attend and grab the opportunities that arise.
With a hint of disappointment, the community realised that the meeting was not a platform for immediate employment opportunities, but rather an occasion for Merensky to donate fire beaters (Amaphaxa-phaxa) and educate them on their effective use in combating unprecedented fires. This gathering also served as a crucial awareness-raising platform on the dangers associated with fires. A delegate from Merensky emphasised the importance of protecting our environment from the devastating impact of bushfires, particularly in forest areas. She highlighted the significant threats that bushfires pose to livestock and the environment at large, leading to chronic health issues due to smoke inhalation.
The delegate also cautioned that if left unattended, bushfires could have catastrophic consequences, threatening not only livelihoods but also environmental security. In the past, rural communities relied on traditional methods to combat fires, such as using water-soaked rags or old blankets to dampen the flames. However, with more effective and convenient tools such as fire extinguishers and fire beaters now available, protecting people’s homes and their gardens is much easier.
When Merensky donated 5 fire beaters, these were well received by the community. The delegates from the company raised that they had observed the damages caused by fire during the dry seasons of winter. Therefore, they have predicted these fires to be more frequent during this winter season thus they decided to donate with the fire beaters ahead of the winter season. Therefore, these fire beaters were donated just when the bushfires were rising in the village. The local farmers have had unfortunate encounters with fires that have been on the rise since winter began. In the past weekend, the fire beaters were seen being actively used to stop the fire in the village.
During my interaction with a group of young males who were actively involved in controlling a recent forest fire outbreak, they enthusiastically shared their experience. They said that these tools played a crucial role in mitigating the uncontrollable spread of fires, thanks to their high force ability and the pressure applied during use. Initially, the villagers were sceptical about the effectiveness of the fire beaters, even viewing them as a waste of resources. However, after witnessing their usefulness in recent fire incidents, the villagers now see them as a valuable asset, bringing hope to the community.
The young males also expressed a desire for skills development opportunities, particularly in firefighting, which would enable them to effectively respond to fires in the village. With a high rate of unemployment, especially among the youth, they believe that such training would not only provide them with a sense of purpose but also equip them to protect the villagers’ livestock, which often falls prey to veld fires. By having trained firefighters in the village, they hope to safeguard their livelihoods and the environment.
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