About the project and its impacts
The Hwange Thermal Power Station is the biggest power plant in Zimbabwe. Facing a shortage of electricity and an unemployment crisis, in 2018 the Zimbabwean government borrowed US$1,2 billion from the Exim Bank of China to finance an expansion project that would add two additional units to the Power Station.
The new units were built only 100 meters away from the residents of Ingagula settlement, a 400-household suburb of Hwange. Sinohydro, the Chinese firm in charge of the project, failed to consult residents before the project began.
“Living close to a coal plant has serious health effects. There are long-term diseases, like pneumoconiosis, that will only manifest when you get older. And it’s unjust that only those working in the plant are screening for these diseases, while nobody cares about the people living close to the project.” [male villager].
Air pollution has been a pressing concern for residents of Hwange for many years and when the new units began operating in 2024, the situation became even more dire. A report from the Environmental Management Agency of Zimbabwe showed that in Ingagula, ambient air particulate matter was four times higher than Zimbabwe regulatory standards. Despite the devastating health risks, medical testing for and treatment of respiratory diseases are too expensive for most residents of Hwange.
Residents were promised jobs with the expansion project, however, this has not come to fruition for ordinary residents. Instead, only those with connections to people in power have been given employment opportunities.
About the community-led struggle and their demands
“The victories that we celebrate is that we were able to ensure that the management of the Zimbabwe Power Company was able to create time to face the community and respond to their concerns” (representative of Greater Whange Residents Trust, 2025)
Our CRE collaborator Greater Whange Residents Trust (GWRT) has been working closely with the workers’ unions of the area and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights to mitigate the dangerous conditions created by the expansion project. Thanks to their initiatives, the Environmental Management Agency conducted their assessment, and the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) agreed to relocate the 400 households of Ingagula. As yet, no relocation has taken place because the ZPC claims it does not have the funds needed to relocate the households. ZPC and the Hwange Municipality each defer responsibility for the relocation to the other party.
A petition was presented to parliament by GWRT and the unions to require free medical testing and treatment for all Hwange residents for respiratory diseases. GWRT have also been mobilising community support by facilitating town hall meetings where residents can express their grievances and concerns.
People in Hwange are fighting for a clean, safe living environment and they want the new units to stop operating until the people of Ingagula are relocated. While the dangers of thermal power are acknowledged, people fear for their livelihoods should all coal-related industries shut down. However, GWRT believes that a shift towards renewable energy, particularly solar, can maintain the employment opportunities provided by the coal industry without the associated health risks.