Hwange
MP Daniel Molokele speaks out against Chinese companies ‘arrogance and disregard for the law’ in Hwange
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
The activities of Chinese companies in Hwange have raised concerns among local residents and leaders about environmental and social impact.
Councillor Bryn Chikumbo has sounded the alarm on the dire health risks faced by residents of Ingagula due to excessive dust pollution from haulage trucks and coal mining activities.
Despite numerous petitions and engagements with authorities, the community remains vulnerable to the health risks.
We spoke to Hwange Central Member of Parliament Daniel Molokele to understand the steps being taken to hold Chinese companies accountable for their actions.
Question: What steps are being taken to hold Chinese companies accountable for their environmental and social impact in Hwange, and to ensure that they prioritize the safety and well-being of the local community?
Response:
“We have also made efforts to reach out to the Chinese companies, most community local members are complaining that it’s the Chinese companies that are leading in terms of violations of environmental laws and making sure that there’s too much pollution, not just of the air but of the land and the rivers… but what we have learnt is that Chinese companies are very arrogant and they never respect any type of law including labour relations act.
When you look at the terms and conditions of their employees, it’s clear that they are deliberately and arrogantly violating the laws in terms of working hours, in terms of compassionate leave, study leave, medical aid, pension aid and permanent employment and so on… In terms of health and occupational hazards, awareness and protection, so there’s a lot of violations happening… but it’s the manner in which Chinese investors start investments here in Zimbabwe because they come through high-level politics and they have got connections in Harare and some of the companies that China had set up here in Hwange, they major shareholding include the political elite and that’s where the source of arrogance is coming from… I have been working with other parliamentarians to set up a national chapter for the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.
We have an organization that works in over 50 countries that has been set up called IPAC headquartered in London that seeks to ensure that Chinese companies wherever they are investing, they have a sustainable development model and they respect local communities.
So we are in the process of setting the national chapter in Zimbabwe, hopefully, it’ll help to increase our capacity to force the Chinese companies to be more accountable.”
Molokele says in the next parliamentary sitting, he is also going to bring the matter to the house.
Meanwhile, efforts are also underway to get a response from the Chinese representatives in the country over the Hwange case.
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
Residents of Mkhosana in Victoria Falls are living in fear as a large herd of buffaloes continues to invade their communities, destroying vegetable gardens and posing a threat to human life.
https://x.com/Vic_Falls_Live/status/1853724332553314445/video/1
According to eyewitnesses, the buffaloes, estimated to be around 30-40, have been encroaching into the communities since June, with some residents reporting that they have been vandalizing their gardens as early as 8 PM.
David Mpofu
David Mpofu, a resident of Mkhosana, expressed his concern, saying, “We are living in fear because these buffaloes come every day, destroying our vegetable gardens. We want the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority rangers to take action and chase them away.”
Trymore Ndolo
The Victoria Falls Combined Residents Association member, Trymore Ndolo, who was also at the scene on Monday night close to the CBZ houses, expressed frustration, stating that the buffaloes are becoming a menace and encroaching into high-density residential areas.
The issue of human-wildlife conflict is escalating due to the ongoing drought, with elephants also encroaching into communities in search of water and food.
Residents are crying foul as their source of food is being destroyed.
Last week, a large herd of buffaloes even invaded the Victoria Falls City Council water works premises, taking security guards by surprise and forcing them to hide.
In Mkhosana, the buffaloes refused to budge until Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority officials arrived and chased them away.
Residents are calling for urgent action to address the situation and ensure their safety and security.
BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
An underground coal mine fire has broken out at the Zimbali mine at M3 Block, close to Madumabisa, Village 2 and 5 in Hwange.
According to a resident, Rejoice Ndlovu, the blaze is believed to have started due to exposed coal on the surface and has been raging for several hours.
Firefighters from the Hwange Local Board and other emergency services are on the scene, but their efforts to contain the fire have so far been unsuccessful.
Residents nearby have been advised to take precautionary measures to ensure their safety.
Councillor Brian Chikumbo from Ingagula has raised concerns about the lack of transparency surrounding the incident.
“We only heard about the fire through word of mouth after we saw some smokes in the morning,” he said.
“There has been no official communication from the mine operators to alert the communities or provide information about the situation.”
Chikumbo expressed fears about the potential health risks to nearby communities, particularly the spread of tuberculosis (TB) and injuries from underground coal fires.
Historically, many children have been injured by seamless coal fires in this area.
The Zimbali coal mine is operated by Chinese investors, and Chikumbo criticized the lack of transparency and accountability.
WATCH|
https://x.com/vic_falls_live/status/1852375255530016841?s=46
https://x.com/vic_falls_live/status/1852344680001757419?s=46
More to follow…
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