{"id":1660,"date":"2026-01-14T04:26:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T04:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2026-01-14T04:27:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T04:27:01","slug":"matabeleland-north-suffers-despite-coal-wealth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?p=1660","title":{"rendered":"Matabeleland North suffers despite coal wealth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by SIBONGILE SIBANDA<\/em>
HWANGE – ZIMBABWE sits on one of Southern Africa\u2019s most abundant coal reserves \u2014 the Hwange coalfield \u2014 yet the nation continues to suffer debilitating electricity shortages that have strangled economic growth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For decades, the failure to convert this vast natural endowment into reliable power has deprived local communities in Matabeleland North \u2014 including Hwange, Binga, Lupane and Victoria Falls \u2014 of jobs, investment, and opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hwange\u2019s coal resources, estimated at over 23 billion tonnes, are among the largest in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experts say this reserve could supply Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa with electricity for decades if fully utilised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is believed that at current mining rates, the Hwange fields could last more than 300 years \u2014 a potential economic lifeline that Zimbabwe has barely tapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet despite this promise, rolling blackouts remain a daily reality, forcing businesses to rely on expensive diesel generators and crippling small-scale industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coal has long been the backbone of energy security worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It provides baseload power, supporting consistent electricity generation unlike some renewable sources that depend on weather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a country like Zimbabwe, abundant coal could underwrite industrialisation, power manufacturing hubs, and light up tourism centres such as Victoria Falls \u2014 long touted as an engine of growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the ZANU-PF\u2013led government\u2019s policy failures have stymied these prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of harnessing and upgrading Hwange\u2019s coal-to-electricity infrastructure, successive administrations have presided over dilapidated power stations, limited investment in modern technology, and poorly executed public-private partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result: Zimbabwe remains trapped in chronic load shedding that erodes investor confidence and stunts economic recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local communities bear the brunt of these shortcomings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Hwange and Binga, youth unemployment soars as potential jobs in mining operations, geology services, heavy transport, plant maintenance, and electrical engineering remain unrealised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur youths are walking the streets while coal worth billions stays in the ground,\u201d said a community leader in Lupane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith electricity, our people could work in mining, haul coal to power plants, and support businesses that emerge from reliable energy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only would coal-powered electricity stimulate employment, but foreign currency earnings from coal exports could be a boon for provincial development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zimbabwe already exports coal from Hwange to neighbouring countries and to international markets, earning scarce foreign exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These earnings could fund schools, clinics, roads and electricity infrastructure if properly managed and equitably shared with local provinces like Matabeleland North.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Communities around Hwange and Victoria Falls lament that the current system offers little benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of job creation and electrification, they endure frequent power cuts that cripple tourism lodges, constrain small businesses, and drive young talent into migration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have coal that could power Southern Africa,\u201d said an entrepreneur in Victoria Falls. \u201cYet our lights go out every evening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Critics point to controversial ZANU-PF policies that prioritise political patronage over sustainable development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South have long felt marginalised, with underinvestment in infrastructure and economic opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The failure to capitalise on Hwange\u2019s coal reserves, they argue, is symptomatic of broader governance challenges that have held back the region and the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investing in modern coal-fired power generation \u2014 with environmental safeguards \u2014 could transform Zimbabwe\u2019s economic prospects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only would it ensure energy security, but it would also catalyse downstream industries, create thousands of jobs, and generate export revenues that uplift local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As neighbouring countries industrialise, Zimbabwe risks being left behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With abundant coal in Hwange, the question is not whether the province has the resources \u2014 it\u2019s whether political will and sound policy can finally unlock them for the benefit of the people of Matabeleland North and the entire nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by SIBONGILE SIBANDAHWANGE – ZIMBABWE sits on one of Southern Africa\u2019s most abundant coal reserves \u2014 the Hwange coalfield \u2014 yet the nation continues to suffer debilitating electricity shortages that have strangled economic growth. For decades, the failure to convert this vast natural endowment into reliable power has deprived local communities in Matabeleland North \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,88,5],"tags":[306,124],"class_list":["post-1660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coal","category-energy","category-featured","tag-coal-mining-at-hwange","tag-matabeleland-north"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Coal-mining-at-Hwange-Matabeleland-North-Zimbabwe-150x150.png","medium":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Coal-mining-at-Hwange-Matabeleland-North-Zimbabwe-300x174.png","medium_large":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Coal-mining-at-Hwange-Matabeleland-North-Zimbabwe.png","large":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Coal-mining-at-Hwange-Matabeleland-North-Zimbabwe.png","1536x1536":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Coal-mining-at-Hwange-Matabeleland-North-Zimbabwe.png","2048x2048":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Coal-mining-at-Hwange-Matabeleland-North-Zimbabwe.png","post-thumbnail":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Coal-mining-at-Hwange-Matabeleland-North-Zimbabwe.png"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"administrator","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d5ebfe727f13fb325bd400aaaf5e789d3e2e20898883d9ae8e3d3d42d58cef?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"by SIBONGILE SIBANDAHWANGE – ZIMBABWE sits on one of Southern Africa\u2019s most abundant coal reserves \u2014 the Hwange coalfield \u2014 yet the nation continues to suffer debilitating electricity shortages that have strangled economic growth. For decades, the failure to convert this vast natural endowment into reliable power has deprived local communities in Matabeleland North \u2014 […]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["Coal","Energy","Featured"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":82,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":3,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Coal-mining-at-Hwange-Matabeleland-North-Zimbabwe.png",680,395,false],"medium":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Coal-mining-at-Hwange-Matabeleland-North-Zimbabwe-300x174.png",300,174,true],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Coal-mining-at-Hwange-Matabeleland-North-Zimbabwe-150x150.png",150,150,true]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"administrator","author_link":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/?author=2"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a3d5ebfe727f13fb325bd400aaaf5e789d3e2e20898883d9ae8e3d3d42d58cef?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"Coal<\/a> Energy<\/a> Featured<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1660"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1662,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1660\/revisions\/1662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matabeletoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}