DevelopmentNews

Zimbabwe Bans Mining Activities In National Parks Following Outcry

Days after environmental rights lawyers filed a court application concerning grants giving exploratory rights to two Chinese companies, the Zimbabwean government on Tuesday banned all mining activities in areas managed by national parks.

According to AFP news agency, Zimbabwe’s authorities had earlier granted Afrochine Energy and Zimbabwe Zhongxin Coal Mining Group licenses to explore for coal in Hwange National Park, a nature reserve that is home to over 45,000 elephants and thousands of other species. 

The Zimbabwe Environmental Lawyers Association (ZELA) had on Sunday filed an application where they argued that permitting mining in a safe national park constituted a breach of the country’s constitutional obligation to promote conservation and to prevent ecological degradation. 

“Mining on areas held by national parks is banned with immediate effect. Steps are being undertaken to immediately cancel all mining titles held in national parks,” the minister of information, Monica Mutsvangwa, said on Tuesday.

ZELA had cautioned that Hwange, the biggest and most popular tourist attraction in Zimbabwe, would soon become a site for geological surgeries, drilling, road building and land clearance if coal explorations continued.

Summary not available.


Support Our Journalism

There are millions of ordinary people affected by conflict in Africa whose stories are missing in the mainstream media. HumAngle is determined to tell those challenging and under-reported stories, hoping that the people impacted by these conflicts will find the safety and security they deserve.

To ensure that we continue to provide public service coverage, we have a small favour to ask you. We want you to be part of our journalistic endeavour by contributing a token to us.

Your donation will further promote a robust, free, and independent media.

Donate Here

Of course, we want our exclusive stories to reach as many people as possible and would appreciate it if you republish them. We only ask that you properly attribute to HumAngle, generally including the author's name, a link to the publication and a line of acknowledgement. Contact us for enquiries or requests.

Contact Us

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Translate »