The Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Richard Moyo, said that the government is engaging mining companies in Hwange following complaints from residents about air pollution in the area.
Residents of Ingagula have expressed concerns about excessive dust pollution from haulage trucks and coal mining activities, which they believe is contributing to respiratory diseases and other health issues.
Speaking to <a href="https://vicfallslive.co.zw/minister-moyo-were-working-to-reduce-hwange-pollution/">VicFallsLive</a>, Moyo said their engagements with Chinese mining companies have led to a reduction in pollution levels in the Deka River. He said:
<blockquote>
We are engaging stakeholder companies that are all operating in coal mining in Hwange, working in collaboration with the Environmental Management Agency and Hwange Colliery, to address the issue of pollution.
We are trying our level best as Matabeleland North province government to address the issue of pollution in Hwange.
If you look closely now, the fluid that gets in the Deka river has been reduced. We have also tried to quell the pollution in the air and we a re still trying to address that.
</blockquote>
Bryn Chikumbo, a local councillor, has warned that the community is “sitting on a health time bomb” and has called for urgent action to address the pollution.
Coal mining and the resulting pollution can significantly affect the health and well-being of people living in mining areas in several ways
Dust from mining operations and coal combustion can lead to respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis, and other chronic lung diseases.
Fine particles released into the air can penetrate deep into the lungs, causing cardiovascular diseases and exacerbating existing health conditions.
Runoff from mining sites can contaminate local water sources with heavy metals and other pollutants, impacting drinking water quality.
Consuming or using contaminated water can lead to various health issues, including gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, and increased cancer risk.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

The government is talking to coal miners in Hwange because people are worried about pollution. Residents say dust and coal mining are making them sick. The government is working with Chinese mining companies to reduce pollution in the Deka River. They are also trying to reduce pollution in the air. A local councillor is warning that the community's health is in danger. Pollution from coal mining can cause lung problems, heart diseases, contaminated water, and more health issues. The government is trying to fix these problems to keep people safe and healthy.

Government Engaging Coal Miners To Tackle Hwange Pollution - Minister Moyo

Families in Matabeleland North who were affected by a project under the Hwange 7 and 8 expansion project are being relocated by the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC).
Last week, 12 new homesteads were handed over to families affected by the construction of the new 400kv transmission line project in the Epping Forest and Sawmills.
Speaking at the handover ceremony of the houses last week, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Matabeleland North Richard Moyo, said the Epping Forest and Sawmills homesteads constructed by ZPC, gave him hope for the future of Zimbabwe in the global community. He said:
<blockquote>
The Government has aligned itself with the World Bank performance standards that are set to improve the livelihoods of displaced persons affected by a project.
The standards state that the livelihoods and standards of living of displaced persons must be restored or improved to pre-displacement levels. In this regard, it is pleasing to note that the standards of living for affected persons in Matabeleland North have been improved from the pre-displacement, as shown by the structures built under the relocation plan.
</blockquote>
Minister Moyo said construction of the remainder of homesteads was at various stages of completion, ranging from 70 per cent to 90 per cent.
ZESA executive chairman, Dr Sydney Gata, said the transmission infrastructure required a way-leave of 60 metres, which is spanning from Hwange at Hwange B Substation to Bulawayo’s at Insukamini Substation. He added:
<blockquote>
As a responsible corporate citizen, ZESA Holdings embarked on a relocation action plan to build new homesteads for the affected families. The plan has a total of 75 homesteads, with 45 in Matabeleland North Province and 30 in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province.
</blockquote>
The government, through ZESA’s subsidiary, ZPC, is implementing the Hwange Expansion Project, which is set to increase the national electricity supply by 600 megawatts.
The national project officially commenced on August 1, 2018.
 More: <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/">The Herald</a>

ZESA Constructs Homes For Families Affected By Hwange Expansion Project

Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs minister of state Richard Moyo Friday said that there is no going back on confiscating a farm belonging to prominent human rights lawyer Siphosami Malunga and his business partners.
The farm, known as Esidakeni, measuring 553 hectares and situated in Nyamandlovu, Matabeleland North province, is being compulsorily acquired under section 72(2) of the country’s constitution.
The farm was bought by Kershelmar Farms (Pvt) Ltd, a company co-owned by Siphosami, the executive director of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa and son of the late nationalist Sydney Malunga, businessman Charles Moyo and Zephaniah Dhlamini, a scientist working at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST).
The property was initially owned by Jeffrey Swindells, a white farmer, who then sold Kershelmar – with the farm – to Malunga, Dhlamini and Charles Moyo.
The NewsHawks established that Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) co-deputy director-general Gatsha Mazithulela, ZANU PF secretary for administration Obert Mpofu and Moyo are behind the move to seize the property.
Moyo told the publication yesterday that Malunga and his business associates did not own the farm and it should have been grabbed by the government a time long ago. Said Moyo:
That land does not belong to the Malunga family. It was acquired by the government and belongs to the government.
<blockquote>They are claiming to have bought shares in the property, but you cannot buy shares to land that has been acquired by the government.
There is no going back on that farm seizure. We should have taken the farm a long time ago. Besides, they do not have any documentation showing that they own the property.
Dhlamini and (Charles) Moyo came to my offices to explain themselves but failed to provide any papers.
We have given beneficiaries, 14 of them, offer letters to occupy that farm. They also claim that their documents were stolen.
Documents of the property stay with the owner of that property, they cannot be kept at the offices. It is clear that they want to raise dust to tarnish the image of the government.</blockquote>
But Malunga, posting on Twitter on Saturday, said he is ready to take on officials at the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, as well as Moyo. He said:
<blockquote>I hope that all these officials including the Minister for Provincial Affairs, Richard Moyo are ready for the fight ahead.
We are aware of and can show the frightening levels of corruption and criminal abuse of office in our case and regarding land in Matabeleland North generally.
We are aware of conflictual/personal relationships between some of the beneficiaries and the Minister of Provincial Affairs.
We will revisit long-standing corruption allegations by implicated individuals. We are aware that land is being sold in Matabeleland North.</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://thenewshawks.com/lands-minister-distances-self-from-malunga-farm-seizure/">The NewsHawks</a></h4>

'No Going Back On Malunga Farm Confiscation'

The government has spoken on the alleged seizure of a farm that is allegedly co-owned by Siphosami Malunga (an international human rights lawyer), Zephaniah Dhlamini (the director of the National University of Science and Technology’s (Nust) Applied Genetics Testing Centre), and Charles Moyo.
The government said the repossessed farm in Matabeleland North does not belong to the Osisa director Malunga and his two partners but was compulsorily acquired under the Land Reform Programme in 2004 from a white farmer.

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The Herald reports that Malunga and his partners later bought a shadowy company that claimed to own the farm but did not have exclusive ownership of the land in question since it had been acquired by the Government almost two decades before.
Matabeleland North Province Minister of State Hon Richard Moyo said told the state-run publication that there was no seizure of black-owned farms adding that Malunga and his partners can benefit from the largesse if they do not own land elsewhere. He said:
<blockquote>_The farm in question belonged to white farmers by the name of Swindells. When Government compulsorily acquired land in the 2000s we did not immediately resettle people because there was a black man by the name of Eddie Warambwa who claimed to have bought the farm from the white man. It was only after his death that we realised that he was a front of the white man and measures were taken to repossess the land, there is no victimisation here._
_Maybe Mr Malunga and his partners bought assets on the farm but certainly not the land as it belongs to Government. We are in the process of allocating the land and those who were on the farm will benefit just as any other Zimbabwean if they do not have another piece of land elsewhere._</blockquote>
This comes as This comes after <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2021/06/15/farm-owned-by-son-of-ex-zapu-bigwig-malunga-seized/">Malunga had claimed that the farm belongs to him and his colleagues</a> vowing to fight back.
More: <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw">Pindula News</a>; <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/malunga-farm-grab-claims-false/">The Herald</a>

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