Chronicle Editor
THE First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa last Thursday commissioned a US$600 000 library in Lwendulu suburb in Hwange town which was built for the community by South Mining Company. The library is the only public library now serving the reading masses in the coal mining town.
Public libraries that used to serve members of the public closed a long time ago as it was felt they were no longer relevant due to the advent of digital technology.
It is against this background that South Mining Company decided to build a state-of-the-art library that offers both physical books and online research facilities.
The library will service more than 200 schools as well as members of the public in and around Hwange town.
It has facilities and materials from early childhood development, primary and secondary school as well as tertiary up to professional level.
The library has a section where there are physical books and a computer laboratory. It also has free WiFi for those who wish to access the facility for research.
Speaking at the commissioning, First Lady, Dr Mnangagwa said access to information through libraries is a catalyst for social change as it keeps school pupils away from social ills such as drug and substance abuse.
Dr Mnangagwa said the Hwange community was fortunate to have South Mining Company which recognises that its responsibility is beyond purely economic parameters.
The decision to give the community a library, the First Lady said, is an embodiment of the company’s corporate social responsibility and an illustration of the importance placed on education and uplifting the lives of those within the community. “In our fast-paced technology driven world where information is readily available at our fingertips, you may question the relevance of a physical library but it is in the digital age that such a facility is more relevant,” said Dr Mnangagwa.
The First lady said South Mining Company has also funded a number of other community projects meant to transform the people’s livelihoods and these include drilling boreholes, construction of a football pitch in Madumabisa Village and donation of a twin-cab Toyota Hilux to Hwange Rural District Council to enable the local authority to service its community.
It is this ploughing back to communities that companies operate in which must be encouraged. We want at this juncture to implore other mining companies to emulate what South Mining Company is doing for the Hwange community.
The people of Hwange town and surrounding areas are enjoying the benefits of the exploitation of one of their natural resources which is coal through companies such as South Mining. The company, as already alluded to, has not just created employment for locals but is also funding community projects under its corporate social responsibility programme.
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