Zimbabwe’s Forestry Commission says it has impounded 20 trucks and seized 4,000 bags of charcoal along with 300 cubic metres of firewood during an August 2026 operation in Harare Metropolitan Province. The action targets what authorities describe as illegal forest trade.
Outlet coverage focuses on the areas where the campaign is carried out and its stated aim. One report describes the operation as part of a “No To Indigenous Firewood” campaign, naming locations including Mbare and Chikwanha in Chitungwiza and Lusaka in Highfield. The reports align on the nature of the enforcement—seizures of charcoal and firewood and the impounding of trucks—while differing mainly in how they frame the campaign and the named localities. Neither source provides detailed information on arrests, the value of the seized goods, or specific legal outcomes at the time of reporting.
Overall, both accounts present the operation as a targeted crackdown on illegal burning and trading of indigenous firewood and related forest products in the capital’s surrounding urban areas.
