Chronicle Editor
Fairness Moyana in Hwange
THE negative impact of switching off of electricity to former employees of Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL) by the company in the ongoing tiff for houses has seen more women placing their lives at the centre of the human-wildlife conflict as they are now searching for firewood in the bush.
This comes after a woman believed to be in her 40s was trampled by an elephant while searching for firewood in Makwika Village, one of the hard-hit areas of the power blackout.
The woman who was seriously injured following the elephant attack is admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital where doctors are trying to save her life.
Three months ago, the Colliery switched off electricity on houses occupied by ex-employees in a move allegedly meant to force them to vacate the houses after several measures it had employed failed.
Chairperson for one of the former employees groupings made up of pensioners, Mr Peter Nyambe said following the switching off of electricity at the former workers’ houses, women and girls were at risk of elephant attacks as they searched for firewood.
“Our women and children are in danger of elephant attacks as they have to go into the bush in search of firewood for cooking. The woman who was trampled by an elephant last week was also affected by the switching off of power by Colliery. This goes to show the impact that the action is causing to ex-Colliery employees. Some women are even going to old dumpsites in search of coal for heating which further exposes them to underground fires,” said Mr Nyambe.
He called on Colliery to act swiftly to prevent loss of life by restoring power to the ex-workers’ houses.
“The company owes us thousands of dollars in unpaid benefits including monies for our shares. It’s unfortunate that the company is resorting to such kinds of methods to get rid of people that have given their lives to the company.
“There are monies that were not being remitted to Dynamic Fund for example that resulted in many workers failing to build houses and now they risk being made homeless by the Colliery’s actions,” said Mr Nyambe.
He said the ex-workers with conditions such as diabetes who required refrigeration of medicines were also gravely affected by the power cuts.
Ms Maria Ncube, wife of a former Colliery worker from Makwika Village said in the wake of a surge in elephant population in the area, they were moving in groups as they searched for alternative energy in the bush.
“We have witnessed a growing number of elephants patronising our area making it unsafe to move around. We were affected by the move by Colliery so we are forced to go into the forest or dumpsites in search of firewood or coal for cooking. Because we have no other alternative we take the risk by moving in groups of 12 to 15 women.”
Another woman from Lusumbami Village also bemoaned the effects of the power cuts arguing that the stance by the company was disadvantaging and making women vulnerable due to culturally associated gender roles.
“Women are often affected by disasters as they have limited access to resources, technology, and decision-making power. Women strive to ensure household food security and the issue of energy in the home places is an additional burden on women making them more vulnerable to dangers,” said Anna Ncube.
Cases of human-wildlife conflict are expected to increase in Hwange District as climate change and mining activities force wild animals especially elephants to roam around in search of food and water.
Last year a female security guard was trampled to death by an elephant while guarding a broken-down crane at Chaba Opencast Mine.
Hwange residents have called for urgent finalisation of the Parks and Wildlife Bill which is being crafted.
The Government is also working on coming up with a Human-Wildlife Conflict Relief Fund whose aim will be to compensate victims or their families after attacks by wild animals.
In response to the increase in elephant activity in its concession areas, Hwange Colliery has erected warning signs cautioning residents of the lurking dangers.
Although no comment could be obtained from HCCL, it is on record saying it does not owe any of its former workers.
It has on various occasions tried to evict them including approaching the courts.
Before the latest move, Colliery had tried to lease the houses but the move was fiercely resisted by the former workers.
Inside sources said since it became a holding company all its properties including houses and business units were placed under the purview of its real estate arm with the main objective of generating revenue.
Online Reporter