TENDAI BHEBE
Communities in the Hwange district of Matabeleland North Province are pleading to the authorities to compensate victims of underground fires.
It comes after more than 10 people fell victim to underground fires in the area. Unfortunately, Aliska Sekina Muzvite, an eight-year-old in Hwange, tragically perished in 2021 after plunging into a Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL) dumpsite with fire.
Fidelis Chima, the Greater Hwange Residents Association chairman, told Business Times that affected families need psychological assistance as he called for an engagement process between affected families and HCCL so that they come up with the way forward.
“We have an exceptional case of that child who got burnt to death. I think such cases they have to be relocated from where they are staying,” Chima said.
“Also HCCL should make steps so that these people can get decent accommodation. There has to be many solutions but however the affected families should drive the whole process. People in Hwange are still living in anxiety over these coal fires.”
He said the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission appears hesitant in coming up with recommendations.
“It appears the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development is also afraid to do some investigations and make recommendations to that effect,” Chima said.
Responding to Muzvite’s death, HCCL engaged an international private consultant to investigate the extent of the underground fires in Hwange in January last year.
The findings of that study, however, have remained secret from the public for nearly two years.
Environmental experts said underground fires were a concern.
In its latest report, the Centre for Natural Resource Governance said the underground coal fires in and around Hwange have left some residents with “near-death experiences and permanent disabilities.”
The underground fires in the town have hurt more than 10 people.
The latest being two children aged four and nine were burnt by the coalfires last month.
Seven-year-old Linclon Tomu had the dream of one day turning out for his beloved Hwange Football Club affectionately known as Chipangano but that dream was shattered when he became one of the victims of underground fires that brought untold damage to the lives of the coal mining town of Hwange.
His heartbroken father, Chris Tomu, said the minor has adopted learning disorders and is going through psychological trauma.
“My son got burnt when he was coming from church with his grandmother. It’s a narrow road where people usually use to pass through fields. So it happened that when he was walking he didn’t know that the route he took had coal fires. We have not yet received any help from the responsible authorities. And he is a person who enjoys playing football with his friends so this has affected him a lot.
“It has disturbed his future, maybe it was the talent that would have taken him to success. Even his concentration at school and association with other children has changed a lot,” he said.
Contacted for a comment, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development chairperson, Edmund Mkaratigwa said: “This is a natural phenomenon regarding the geology and geography of all coal mining areas. And we value the sanctity of human life and to that end this is a topical issue of environmental concern to preserve life and to ensure that we intervene on potential challenges around the negative impacts of these fires.
“And in the past I am aware the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on environment visited Hwange and they attended to other issues in the sector and as a committee we have heard these reports.
Currently, we are seized with the mines and minerals amendment bill, “he said.
Chipo Mpofu –Zuze, Environmental Management Agency (EMA) Matabeleland North manager said every land user should put protection measures in place they are using.
“Our mandate as the agency is to regulate all development projects to ensure that they have minimum or no negative impact on the environment. Referring to the coal fires in Hwange, our concern is that veld fires would spread on surface and destroy our forest and wild animals. We are also concerned if people and their properties are negatively affected,” Mpofu-Zuze said.
“The regulations that regulate that specific concern is part 5 of SI7 of 2007 referred to as the environmental impact assessment and ecosystem protection. It requires that every proponent or land user or occupier put in place precautions. These are measures that will prevent fire from spreading from one property to the other.”
She said the agency served HCCL with an environmental protection order.
“…We engaged the land authority and we served them with an environmental protection order which was calling upon them to give us an environmental management plan which clearly states the measures that they were going to try and contain or do away with the underground fires.
“I am happy to say they were able to provide the management plan and they have even engaged an international consultant who came in to assess the extent of the problem. And they are now in the process of looking for yet another consultant who is then going to come up with measures that can best contain the problem.”
EMA is responsible for ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources and protection of the environment.
All efforts to get a comment from HCCL were futile.
