Back to Index

Mining activity in and near to Hwange National Park
Sokwanele
December 12, 2011

http://www.sokwanele.com/node/2352

Download this document
- Acrobat PDF version (1.61MB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking here

Last year on the 10th & 11th September 2010 a fly over of Hwange National Park (HNP) revealed increased mining activity in and around the Sinamatella area. In addition to the mining carried out by Hwange Colliery Company Limited there are now at least 3 other coal mining developments, two adjoining HNP and one actually within the Park - see maps 1 & 2. More details about these mining operations are given below.

This mining activity is of grave concern. The associated building of roads and increased human activity is bound to lead to an increase in poaching as the area is opened up, access becomes easier, and there are more people in the area to carry out the poaching and to buy the poached meat.

Further Sinamatella is a rhino Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ). The survival of rhino throughout southern Africa is in doubt due to the ongoing slaughter of these animals for their horn. The IPZs have proved successful but it will be extremely difficult for the Parks & Wildlife Management Authority (PWMA) to monitor and protect the rhino in the Sinamatella IPZ with all the additional traffic and activity resulting from these various mining operations both within the IPZ and on its boundaries. Of even greater concern is the total devastation of large tracts of land in what until recently was a wilderness area. Whilst wildlife populations may recover, or be reintroduced, if poaching can be brought under control, it may not be possible to restore the wildlife once the habitat has been destroyed.

These mining operations are a threat not only to Zimbabwe's wildlife but also to its cultural and archeological resources. One of the mines (see Mine 3 below) is within a few kilometers of the Bumbusi Ruins, which is a national monument. In addition to the stone ruins, where Late Stone Age tools have been found, there are unusual sandstone engravings - see Appendix 2. In recent years National Museums and Monuments have undertaken an excavation in the area and it is believed there are many more archeological finds to be made - unless they are destroyed during bush clearing and mining.

According to the Parks and Wild Life Act no one may mine within a national park unless they have a written agreement signed by the Minister of Environment and Tourism (see appendix 1 for a copy of the Act, chapter 20:14 section 119 Prospecting and Mining). To date it has not been established if any of the three mines has such an agreement. Before any of these developments began an environmental impact assessment (EIA) should have been completed - and the Environmental Management Policy requires this to be done. With this in mind the Provincial Environmental Manager (PEM) Matabeleland North & Bulawayo provinces, Mrs Mpofu Sesu said she was not aware of any new mining developments taking place in the Sinamatella area nor was she able to find a record of any EIAs having been done. The PEM subsequently visited the area but only managed to find one of the mines (see Mine 1 below).

While it is accepted that mining within, or near, a national park may be unavoidable we believe that mining operations such as these must be carefully controlled and monitored. In the past exploratory mining has been conducted within national parks with little or no damage to the environment. For example in the mid nineties: Rio Tinto looked for diamonds in HNP - trenches were dug but almost immediately filled and the area rehabilitated; and Mobil looked for oil in the Zambezi Valley - no new roads were built, equipment was moved in by helicopter, and test holes were filled. The Environmental Management Authority (EMA), the Parks & Wildlife Management Authority and the mining companies themselves should be making public what development is planned, and what measures have been put in place to protect the environment.

This report focuses on Hwange National Park and its surroundings but similar destruction of our environment through mining activities is taking place in other parts of the country, for example by mining for chrome in the Mavhuradonha mountains in Mashonaland Central province.

Download full document

Visit the Sokwanele fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP