from SIBONGILE SIBANDA in Hwange, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HWANGE, (CAJ News) – ZIMBABWE sits on one of Southern Africa’s most abundant coal reserves — the Hwange coalfield — 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 — including Hwange, Binga, Lupane and Victoria Falls — of jobs, investment, and opportunity.
Hwange’s coal resources, estimated at over 23 billion tonnes, are among the largest in the region.
Experts say this reserve could supply Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa with electricity for decades if fully utilised.
It is believed that at current mining rates, the Hwange fields could last more than 300 years — a potential economic lifeline that Zimbabwe has barely tapped.
Yet despite this promise, rolling blackouts remain a daily reality, forcing businesses to rely on expensive diesel generators and crippling small-scale industries.
Coal has long been the backbone of energy security worldwide.
It provides baseload power, supporting consistent electricity generation unlike some renewable sources that depend on weather conditions.
For a country like Zimbabwe, abundant coal could underwrite industrialisation, power manufacturing hubs, and light up tourism centres such as Victoria Falls — long touted as an engine of growth.
But the ZANU-PF–led government’s policy failures have stymied these prospects.
Instead of harnessing and upgrading Hwange’s coal-to-electricity infrastructure, successive administrations have presided over dilapidated power stations, limited investment in modern technology, and poorly executed public-private partnerships.
The result: Zimbabwe remains trapped in chronic load shedding that erodes investor confidence and stunts economic recovery.
Local communities bear the brunt of these shortcomings.
In Hwange and Binga, youth unemployment soars as potential jobs in mining operations, geology services, heavy transport, plant maintenance, and electrical engineering remain unrealised.
“Our youths are walking the streets while coal worth billions stays in the ground,” said a community leader in Lupane.
“With electricity, our people could work in mining, haul coal to power plants, and support businesses that emerge from reliable energy.”
Not only would coal-powered electricity stimulate employment, but foreign currency earnings from coal exports could be a boon for provincial development.
Zimbabwe already exports coal from Hwange to neighbouring countries and to international markets, earning scarce foreign exchange.
These earnings could fund schools, clinics, roads and electricity infrastructure if properly managed and equitably shared with local provinces like Matabeleland North.
Communities around Hwange and Victoria Falls lament that the current system offers little benefit.
Instead of job creation and electrification, they endure frequent power cuts that cripple tourism lodges, constrain small businesses, and drive young talent into migration.
“We have coal that could power Southern Africa,” said an entrepreneur in Victoria Falls. “Yet our lights go out every evening.”
Critics point to controversial ZANU-PF policies that prioritise political patronage over sustainable development.
Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South have long felt marginalised, with underinvestment in infrastructure and economic opportunities.
The failure to capitalise on Hwange’s coal reserves, they argue, is symptomatic of broader governance challenges that have held back the region and the nation.
Investing in modern coal-fired power generation — with environmental safeguards — could transform Zimbabwe’s economic prospects.
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.
As neighbouring countries industrialise, Zimbabwe risks being left behind.
With abundant coal in Hwange, the question is not whether the province has the resources — it’s whether political will and sound policy can finally unlock them for the benefit of the people of Matabeleland North and the entire nation.
– CAJ News