Businessman and farmer Kuda Musasiwa lost farming equipment worth thousands of dollars, including irrigation pipes, solar panels, silage bags and stover, in a fire on Sunday at his farm in Gutu.
Musasiwa revealed the loss in a post on X, saying more than 100 hectares were burnt and that the incident had prompted him to consider quitting farming.
He said no animals or people were killed or injured in the fire, which was driven by the August south-easterly winds.
“Yesterday was a wake-up call on the brutality of nature. The wind was lifting flames 30 feet in the air. Most of our farm workers were off. We could only fight to save the homestead coz we have thatch,” said Musasiwa.
“I failed to save the thatching grass we had been cutting for the last 3 months. I failed to save our silage. I failed to save the borehole solars at 2 locations.
“I failed to save my wife’s irrigation pipes and drip pipes. We had not buried most pipes as we needed to test all connections.
“It’s devastating that we are NOT insured for fire. Something I’ll correct going forward. But FIRE guards DID NOT work.
“The wind was just overpowering. We will never be caught like this again. But I now realise that battling forces of nature like fire isn’t a joke. You do your best, but it’s in God’s hands.”
The incident comes just over two months after the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) warned that Zimbabwe faces an increased risk of destructive veld fires this dry season.
EMA said the risk this year is high due to heavy grass biomass from the recent rainy season, coupled with dry and windy conditions expected in the coming months.
Human activities such as clearing land using fire, illegal hunting and unattended fires remain key causes of outbreaks.
“Veld fires are not just seasonal incidents; they are a national threat affecting lives, livelihoods, biodiversity, agriculture, infrastructure and the environment,” EMA said in a public notice.
