KEY POINTS
- Mudenda highlights coal-rich alternatives outside the national park.
- Activists warn of biodiversity loss and habitat destruction.
- Sunny Yi Feng faces backlash over environmental infractions.
Since there are other places with plenty of coal reserves, Speaker of the House of Representatives Jacob Mudenda has been adamantly against coal extraction in Hwange National Park.
Mudenda rejects coal mining within Hwange Park
His comments come after Sunny Yi Feng, a Chinese business, recently proposed to build a coal mining project in Sinamatella, a part of Hwange National Park. The proposed location supports an increasing number of black rhinos, an endangered species, and is an important habitat for these animals.
Speaking during a tourism-related legislative session, Mudenda expressed his concerns over mining in national parks.
“Mining in national parks is not something I will support. There are other places where coal can be obtained outside the one designated for mining,” he stated. “The southern portion of Binga, as well as the southeast and southwest of Binga—still undeveloped land with abundant coal deposits—have coal.”
Environmental concerns grow over mining proposal impacts
Residents of Hwange, lawmakers, and environmental rights advocates have opposed Sunny Yi Feng’s plan, citing worries about the possible effects of mining in a protected area.
According to New Zimbabwe, mining may result in a decline in biodiversity, the devastation of wildlife habitats, and a rise in conflicts between people and wildlife. Additionally, they contend that mining in Sinamatella would degrade Zimbabwe’s standing as a sustainable conservation destination worldwide and have a detrimental impact on tourists and the environment by polluting the air, the land, and the noise.
Sunny Yi Feng has also been under investigation for previous environmental crimes, including a recent closure order from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for pollution infractions.
