At the sight of an approaching vehicle, Janet Shoko and her family of five gather at the center of three huts that make up their homestead, in what has become some sort of reflex action for them.
With eyes transfixed towards the dusty pathway adjacent to the muddy structures, their fingers are crossed in the hope that this is not the dreadful moment they will be served with an eviction notice to immediately vacate the family home of four decades.
Shoko along with up to 700 other households within Dinde village, some 30 kilometres east of Hwange in Matabeleland North province, have, since late last year, been at the risk of displacement to make way for a coal extraction project.
“We have lived in this area since the 1980s and for us it feels so unfair that we are being pushed out to make way for this so-called development,” says Shoko whose home is a stone throw away from one of the initial exploration points.
Janet Shoko in Dinde village 30km east of Hwange in Matabeleland North province Zimbabwe
The Dinde community has been trying to block the mining activity without success. The villagers say their attempts to challenge coal explorations by Beifa Investments -a Chinese mining firm- has resulted in serious threats from state security agents.
“The nature of our settlement (rural) and coal mining cannot co-exist because our livestock will suffer from the effects,” Shoko says. “The moment they start mining, our displacement is inevitable. We cannot wait until we start to experience the damaging effects of mining as is happening in Deka Village.”
True to her sentiments, there have been wide reports about livestock carnage in Deka –within Hwange district- following the contamination of Deka River as a result of coal mining activities.
Adding to it, fish have been found floating along the water source, vegetation has not been spared as well while humans are suffering rare ailments from ingesting and inhaling poisonous discharge from coal mines.
Cows roam inside the Hwange Colliery Company in Zimbabwe
Globally, scientific evidence has proven that energy production from fossil fuel accounts for a major share of ozone depleting toxins, a phenomenon fueling climate change.
But, despite the destructive trail left by thermal power production over decades, the government of Zimbabwe appears adamant on expanding coal mining in complete disregard of the negative effects on human welfare.
In 2020, President Emmerson Mnangagwa made clear his goal for Zimbabwe to achieve a US$12 billion mining economy within the next decade.
“…the attainment of our Vision 2030 is premised on the mining sector making huge contributions. It is envisaged that investments and benefits accruing from this sector will be critical building blocks for a prosperous Zimbabwe.” Mnangagwa said as he launched the strategic roadmap to the achievement of a US$12 billion mining industry.
Under this mining roadmap, coal alone is meant to contribute US$1 billion. However, environmentalists say, it is through this policy that coal exploration has expanded in Hwange even at the expense of citizens and a promising National Renewable Energy Policy (NREP) launched in 2020.
Interestingly, the NREP states that Zimbabwe has enough clean energy potential to satisfy a local installed grid electricity demand through cleaner sources including solar, hydro, biomass, geothermal and wind. All that lacks now is investment and political will.
Dinde villagers association representative Barnabas Dube said the community felt shortchanged by the coal project as there were no visible benefits for them despite the looming socio-economic challenges.
“We do not get anything from these investments, they [investors and politicians] are the ones who get the coal and benefit the profits. We are not even connected to the (electricity) grid, our road network is a mess and we end up drinking contaminated water, so there is no benefit at all for us,” said Dube.
According to Dube, even though Dinde has vehemently resisted the mining of coal in their backyards, local leadership is corruptly imposing their wishes.
“There is evidence that local people are against this development but some politicians and local leadership are blatantly disregarding the will of the people,” said Dube.
“A lot of people will be moved along with their belongings without clear explanation or compensation. How can this be a fair investment?”
Smoke emits at a coal mining firm near Janet Shoko’s homestead in Dinde community in Hwange Zimbabwe
While the government’s plans are aiming at an increased national generation capacity of over 6000 Megawatts by 2025 (from the current installed capacity of 2300MW) in a bid to be a net exporter of energy in the region, one wonders whether the excess energy from fossil fuel is worth the suffering of the Dinde locals.
Local Climate Activist Elizabeth Gulugulu believes as a signatory of the Paris agreement, Zimbabwe ought to actively commit to the provisions of the deal instead.
“It is important that when the nation is coming up with targets, strategies and policies we should also pay attention to the commitments that we made on the international level of reducing our greenhouse emissions including and mostly in the energy sector,” said Gulugulu.
Gulugulu added that resources must be channeled on community development through investing into renewable energy solutions which include biogas, solar and hydropower.
“The country needs investors that put sustainability at the core of all projects. By doing so we will be killing two birds with one stone, which is providing energy as a basic human right and unlocking green jobs for young people who are 60% of our population,” she said.
Ironically, the Southern African country’s growing appetite for thermal power production comes barely four years after the country ratified the Paris Agreement, pledging to reduce emissions per capita by 33%, before 2030.
To meet this promise the country ought to reduce its dependency on fossil fuel –particularly coal- energy.
Underhand dealings furthering the exploitation of the country’s coal reserves are not only an insincere disregard of the country’s global pledges but a corrupt prejudice of local livelihoods.
“We are useless in their presence (local leaders and investors) so we will just watch them and hope they make the right decisions,” says Shoko.
