BY NOTHANDO DUBE
Lawmakers in Zimbabwe are debating a comprehensive Climate Change Management Bill that supporters say will finally ensure rural communities are no longer “mere spectators” in the multi-billion dollar carbon credit industry.
The Bill, which moved into its second reading, seeks to regulate carbon trading and protect the country’s natural resources from foreign exploitation.
Mutsa Murombedzi delivered a passionate plea for the legislation, arguing that it is a matter of “justice, survival and the dignity of our people”. “Climate change is not a distant stone,” Murombedzi told the House. “It is the flood that we see in Chimanimani, which sweeps away our schools… the heatwave that scotches our communities in Hwange, one silent drought that empties our granaries”.
A major point of contention and hope is the proposed 40% community share in carbon projects. Lawmakers argued that previous projects often left locals with nothing but “tsotso stoves or bicycles” while profits were “repatriated back to their countries, particularly those from the global north”.
Master Makope applauded the move to bring transparency to a sector where deals were often done “without the knowledge of the authorities”.
“By having this policy framework, I believe our people are going to benefit,” Makope said.
“The Minister has to make sure that the villagers, the communities, should also have easy access to registration of their own projects because they are the ones who own these forests”.
The debate also focused on the establishment of a National Climate Fund.
Susan Matsunga insisted on rigorous oversight, suggesting a biennial reporting cycle to Parliament to ensure progress is measurable. “This is about building a culture of transparency that ensures our climate goals are not just promises on paper but measurable achievements,” Matsunga stated.
Murombedzi added that “Climate finance must not vanish into corridors in Harare; it must flow to the ward level where resilience is built”.