Resource-rich Hwange sinking under maladministration

ONE of the oldest mining towns, Hwange, is the country’s mining hub boasting coal mines that produce an estimated 90 000 tonnes of coal per month.

However, the economy and infrastructure in the town does not reflect the abundant resources the area is endowed with.

The mining industry in the town targets high returns as it aims to achieve a US$12 billion industry by 2030 and at the same time, turning the country’s economy into an upper middle-class economy in line with government’s mantra.

Mining activities are supposed to have resulted in good infrastructure and excellent service delivery from local authorities, at the very least.

The snail pace of development in the area can be blamed on incompetence of local authorities. The town has one district hospital which has remained incomplete for years and its roads have become an eyesore mainly due to the mining activities.

Councillors should rectify this problem of underdevelopment.

Hwange district is run by three local authorities namely the Hwange Local Board (HLB), Hwange Rural District Council (RDC) and Victoria Falls Municipality. Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL) has jurisdiction in a coal concession that is run by seven councillors under HLB.

The seven councillors in the concession are not serving their purpose as far as service delivery is concerned.

Service delivery issues are under the jurisdiction of HCCL, Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) and National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ).

What is even more shocking is that Hwange RDC collects rates in wards that fall under HLB. Councillors in the concession area are just councillors by title.

The set-up is very abnormal as HLB pays councillors in wards where Hwange RDC collects rates.

HLB has 14 wards, of which 1-7 administrative wards under the board are the only ones receiving devolution funds, while the other seven fall under HCCL, NRZ and ZPC concessions.

Subsequently, the unequal distribution of devolution funds is undermining and frustrating councillors in wards that are not receiving devolution funds.

Residents have petitioned Parliament to address the situation, but to date, no solution is in sight.

The mismanagement of the town is giving rise to voter apathy as residents struggle to see any positives from the elected officials.

The ZPC residential area is in ward 15, Hwange Colliery Company is in control of wards 8, 9, 10,11 and 12 and NRZ has ward 14.

These private authorities have their own policies that may not allow HLB to implement devolution projects.

An amalgamation of private authorities into one administrative local authority may help in the development of the town.

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