MILLICENT HUNGWE
Masvingo –A veld fire incident claimed the life of Kazana Mutoda (83), from Muzive Village under Chief Shumba in Masvingo, on October 25.
The sad incident happened on Saturday at around 1700 hours.
According to ZRP Masvingo Province deputy Spokesperson Assistant Inspector Masauso Patinyu, Mutoda had gone to clear her maize field in preparation for the farming season when she started a fire to burn off dry vegetation.
After lighting the fire, she returned home briefly but later noticed the flames spreading toward a neighbor’s garden.
In an attempt to extinguish the fire, she returned to the field, where she was unfortunately trapped by the raging blaze.
Mutoda’s family started to look for her until the next day.
On October 26, her charred remains were found in the same field where she had started the fire.
Police attended the scene and transferred the body to Masvingo Provincial Hospital mortuary, where it awaits a postmortem.
This incident adds to a growing list of tragedies linked to veld fires across the country.
According to a public alert issued by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), veld fires have become a serious environmental and safety threat in Zimbabwe, destroying forests, crops, property, and tragically, human lives.
EMA Spokesperson Amkela Sidange confirmed that as of October 24, 2025, two (2) people had lost their lives due to veld fires, with the number now rising to three following Mutoda’s death.
In the same period, 2,779 fire incidents were recorded, burning a staggering 953,851.17 hectares of land compared to 4,355 incidents and 925,139.10 ha in 2024.
This represents a 3.10% increase in area burnt, despite a 36.19% decrease in fire incidences.
The EMA continues to urge the public to exercise extreme caution during this dry and windy season. Citizens are reminded that fire management is everyone’s responsibility and those found causing uncontrolled fires will face prosecution.
