Tourism and Environment

A tide of plastic waste threatens Zimbabwe’s environment and key industries

Published

4 years ago

November 1, 2021

BY JEFFEREY MOYO

Zimbabwe is drowning under a tide of plastic waste – discarded bottles, bags, straws, packaging and other single-use items.

According to the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Zimbabwe generates about 300,000 tonness of plastic waste per year.

A significant proportion of that waste is dumped in the streets or other open areas, rather than recycled or properly disposed of.

“Plastic waste is everywhere,” says environmentalist Happison Chikova.

“You see it in towns and cities, in illegal dumpsites, on street pavements, in people’s backyards – just everywhere. It is an eyesore and it is harming the environment. And nothing is being done about it.”

A government effort in Zimbabwe to regulate the use of flimsy plastic carrier bags in 2010 ran into consumer resistance and failed.

While other African countries such as Rwanda have had some success with banning the importation and use of non-biodegradable plastic bags, Zimbabwe has lagged behind.

The consequences of that inaction will be felt for years to come, environmentalists and officials warn.

“Having 303,000 tonnes of plastic waste lying all over the place is an environmental menace,” says Amkela Sidange, environmental education manager at the EMA.

“Plastic waste clogs sewer pipes, which in turn causes some sewer lines to burst and spill sewage into the environment,” she says.

“Plastics also clog storm drains, causing flash flooding during heavy rains.

“And when we create these back-ups and resulting pools of water, we provide a breeding ground for disease-causing insects.”

A secondary effect of a despoiled environment is that tourism is discouraged, she adds.

“Plastics just fly all over; in some countries this is referred to as white pollution. When we have plastics flying all over, that reduces the aesthetic value of our environment and discourages tourism.”

Already, plastics are harming the agricultural and fishing industries, says environmentalist Kudakwashe Makanda.

“Reproduction of livestock and aquatic life is harmed by toxins in the plastic waste,” he says.

“Fish eat plastic and when we eat those fish we are also ingesting a carcinogenic material.”

Plastic waste deposits toxins into the soil and this affects the alkalinity or acidity of the soil, which subsequently affects crop yields, Makanda adds.

”And it can take close to 100 years for plastic to decompose. So it simply accumulates.”

The plastic waste problem is not confined to Zimbabwe.

Officials estimate that by 2050 the world’s tide of discarded plastic is likely to swell to 12 billion tonnes.

The United Nations Environment Programme says that only about 9% of the world’s plastic waste is recycled and only 12 percent incinerated.

The rest is either deposited in landfills or simply discarded in the environment, causing damage for years to come. – D+C

Slider

Zimparks defends trophy hunting of collared lion in Hwange

Published

23 hours ago

August 4, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe’s wildlife authority, Zimparks, has defended the killing of a collared lion, Blondie, in Hwange National Park, despite widespread outrage and criticism from conservationists.

According to BBC News, Blondie, a well-known lion studied by University of Oxford academics, was killed by trophy hunters just outside Hwange National Park in late June. The lion was wearing a collar sponsored by Africa Geographic, a safari company, to support long-term conservation efforts.

In a press statement, Zimparks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said:

“Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) confirms that a recent hunt of a collared lion in Hwange National Park was legally conducted, with the necessary approvals and having fully complied with all regulations. Contrary to ongoing speculation, there was no illegality involved in this hunt. While collared animals are marked for research purposes, this does not exempt them from being legally hunted under regulated circumstances. We urge the public to stop spreading wrong information that may cause unnecessary alarm. ZimParks remains committed to transparent wildlife management upholding the regulations in all activities.”

According to BBC News, Simon Espley, CEO of Africa Geographic, expressed his dismay and anger over the incident, saying that Blondie’s prominent collar did not prevent him from being hunted. Espley also noted that Blondie was a breeding male in his prime, contradicting claims that trophy hunters only target old, non-breeding males.

The incident has drawn comparisons to the killing of Cecil the lion in 2015, which sparked widespread outrage and calls for stricter regulations on trophy hunting.

Slider

Renowned conservationist Alan Elliott passes away at 86

Published

4 days ago

August 1, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The conservation world is mourning the loss of Alan Elliott, a pioneering conservationist and tourism operator who passed away this morning around 2AM at Materdei Hospital in Bulawayo.

Elliott, affectionately known as “Mandebele,” was 86 years old.

Photo by Charlene Hewat

Elliott’s contributions to conservation and tourism in Zimbabwe are immeasurable. He was one of the first people to bring tourism to Hwange, Zimbabwe’s largest national park, and founded Touch the Wild, a tourism operation that hosted numerous celebrities, including the Queen and Prince Philip.

We then contacted Charlene Hewat, a close associate of Elliott’s Presidential Elephant Research Trust (PERT), to explain further about his conservation work. Hewat described Elliott as an extraordinary conservationist who dedicated his life to protecting elephants. “Alan’s legacy is imprinted on the wild landscapes he loved so dearly and protected so fiercely,” Hewat said in a Facebook post.

In an interview, Hewat elaborated on Elliott’s work, highlighting his efforts to protect elephants in Hwange. “He went and got a decree from President (Robert) Mugabe to protect the presidential elephants, and he received that decree, and they agreed that they would not shoot any elephants within the Dete Hwange area,” Hewat explained.

Elliott’s passing has sent shockwaves throughout the conservation community, with many paying tribute to his remarkable legacy. “He’s a legend. Everybody knows him,” Hewat said. “He was an MP in Hwange, spoke fluent Ndebele, and knew a lot of the ministers. He’s just an amazing man, a legend for Zimbabwe.”

As a testament to his enduring legacy, Elliott had asked Hewat to carry on his work with the Presidential Elephant Research Trust. “It was his vision to promote young Zimbabwean researchers, and that’s something that I share and think we can take forward for the country and for the youth,” Hewat said.

Slider

UPDATE: ZimParks rangers injured in elephant attack receiving medical treatment

Published

4 days ago

August 1, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY STAFF REPORTER

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) spokesperson, Tinashe Farawo has provided an update on the condition of two rangers who were injured earlier this week by elephants in the Sengwa, Chirisa Safari area.

The rangers, who were investigating a reported case of a snared buffalo, encountered a herd of elephants with calves that charged at them.

According to the update, one of the rangers has undergone treatment for his left arm and is currently in a stable condition.

The other ranger had a successful abdominal operation and is currently receiving surgery for his broken left arm and left leg.

The incident highlights the dangers faced by wildlife rangers in Zimbabwe. In a similar incident in March 2025, a Zimparks ranger was killed by an elephant in Kariba during a routine patrol in the Gatche-gatche area.

The authority has encouraged people to minimize movements at night to reduce the risk of human-wildlife conflicts.