China invades Zim’s Hwange National Park to explore for coal

Conservationists, local communities and the Zimbabwean tourism sector are on edge, after reports that two Chinese companies have allegedly been granted concessions to conduct exploratory drilling operations in Zimbabwe’s prestigious Hwange National Park. 

Although it has not been confirmed that coal mining will be taking place in the park, rhino and wildlife NPO Bhejane Trust posted on social media on Wednesday that their rhino monitoring team found Chinese nationals in Hwange Park, and confirmed they were drilling core samples for coal.

They were arrested by the park and handed to police, but soon reappeared with a permit granting them rights to continue with their exploratory drilling exercise. 

The area manager was not consulted, which prompted a discovery that government had allocated two coal mining concessions in the middle of Sinamatella and Robins, located in the park. 

Mining activities, although not yet confirmed to commence, would put the lives of rhinos, large elephant populations and a host of other species at risk. This includes critically endangered black rhino, which roam the Sinamatella area.

A map showing proposed mining sites in Hwange National Park. Photo: Bhejane Trust

According to Bhejane, the companies are Afrochine Energy, part of the China-based Tsingashan Group, and Zimbabwe Zhongxin Coal Mining Group. 

The fact that no one was consulted on the drilling operations was condemned by Bhejane Trust director Trevor Lane, saying the organisation had only been sent a questionnaire from SustiGlobal, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) company, after they found out about the drilling operations. 

Lane told The Citizen the EIA was not dated, and consisted of a half-page of half-hearted questions about the prospect of coal mining in the area. 

However, Lane remains upbeat that the exploration will in all likelihood be quelled, after attending a meeting on Thursday morning. He said at present, government is being pressured, and ministers are already attending meetings. 

Colin Gillies from Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe (WEZ) said he and others “are really worried about this.” 

“So many people are absolutely devastated that something of this nature may happen.” 

He said WEZ was unaware about the drilling until they were informed by Bhejane Trust. 

Gillies said coal mining activities are increasingly encroaching on the park’s borders, with indications that companies want to infiltrate the park. 

“You’ll never fix the area where mining takes place. There are huge coal reserves in other area as well.” 

Tourism industry at risk

Aside from sealing the fate of wildlife in the area should coal mining go ahead in the park, Gillies and Lane said it would be a fatal blow to the country’s tourism industry. 

“If this happens, it will be the end of the park as we know it; the top half of the park would be a write-off,” Lane said. 

Gillies pointed out that ironically, the area selected for mining exploration is in an area where there are three luxury camps that were developed at huge expense. This, along with the loss of employment, would be a huge blow to tourism. 

“If there is a coal mine in the middle of a park, people will not go there.” 

Gillies said Zimbabwe’s financial situation was precarious at best before Covid-19, and that the pandemic has had a detrimental effect to the tourism sector, which is scrambling to recover. 

But Lane said his team is not panicking at this stage, but that it was important to raise awareness “before it gets out of hand.” 

He postulated that concessions may have been granted without fully appreciating the implications, but that significant pressure from at least 50 tour operators in the area should allow for urgent mediation from government. 

Hwange National Park, which consists of 14,600km² of varying vegetation was established in 1928. It is world renowned, and is rated among the top parks in Africa. It is home to at least 40,000 elephants, and more than 400 different bird species, Gillies said.

The area is renowned for its biodiversity, and is a significant tourist attraction. 

Zimbabwe media outlet Newzwire reported that the region is hungry for power supply. President Emmerson Mnangagwa reportedly toured several new coal projects last month, and the mining department in Zimbabwe said that combined, the projects would add 3,000MW of power by 2023. 

Zimbabwe also battles with regular power cuts, much like embattled state-owned entity Eskom. According to The Independent, Zimbabwe’s electricity tariffs increased by 19% in March. 

Although heavily dependant on hydroelectricity, Zimbabwe has billions of tons of coal reserves in a number of known deposits, estimated to last more than 100 years. The largest coal company in the country is Hwange Colliery Company, and is situated adjacent to the Hwange National Park. 

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