As another election approaches, concession areas remain without council service

Calvin Manika

Residents of Hwange are concerned by the lack of funding and poor service delivery in concession areas and are calling for the merging of authorities.

The mining town of Hwange is run by four different authorities, namely, Hwange Local Board, Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL), Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), and National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ). Each authority is in charge of providing services and owns various properties. 

A resident of Lwendulu, which falls under the HCCL concession, Josephine Mutale expressed her displeasure on the deteriorating service delivery in concession areas.

“The difficulty is that when you elect councillors, they are under the Hwange Local Board. They just sit in council and do nothing about the conditions in their wards. We feel unrepresented,” said Mutale.

There are 14 wards in the Hwange Local Board, but only the first  seven administrative wards received devolution money. The other seven are located in concession areas under the HCCL, NRZ, and ZPC. The largest portion of Hwange, including the commercial area and town centre, is owned by Hwange Colliery Company (HCCL).

Residents under the jurisdiction of the Hwange Local Board claim that councillors from concession wards spend money on meetings and seminars but do not participate in their wards’ developmental problems.

“Councillors from concessions waste our money and that is a problem. It is better to be left with our 7 council members. Concessions can effectively operate with just chairs of development committees. For instance, the Hwange Colliery Company, which profits greatly from coal mining, needs to expand its concession,” said Marko Siziba of Empumalanga.

The wards are determined in accordance with the Electoral Act.

The inactive role of elected council members in concession zones is blamed for poor service delivery and underdevelopment in those communities. Concession areas are mine owned and managed, hence elected politicians have no place in them because they are still private properties.

“Ratepayers’ money is spent at local council meetings. This merely implies that councillors from concessionary wards receive their funding from our rates because  residents of their wards do not pay dues to the Hwange Local Board,” Siziba added.

Since the properties are company infrastructure and part of the employee benefits, the majority of inhabitants in concessions do not pay rentals or rates. Recently, many non-workers have started renting in the Hwange Colliery’s suburbs of Lwendulu, Makwika, and Lusumbani, but they pay the coal mining town directly.

Fidelis Chima, the coordinator of the Greater Whange Residents Trust, believes that the seven Councilors in the concession are not accomplishing their goals.

“The Councillors are literally doing nothing in providing services. Hwange Colliery Company, Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC), and National Railways of Zimbabwe are responsible for service delivery. Ward councillor is just a title in concession areas,” said Chima.

Councillors in wards who do not receive devolution funds are allegedly being undermined and frustrated by the uneven allocation of funds. However, Hwange Local Board said in a statement that it was making major developments, showing its preparedness as a town in waiting. 

“Major infrastructure improvements have been made in Hwange over the past few years; the town now houses the provincial courts, police headquarters, and army establishment in addition to having all the amenities required for a town, such as rail, roads, and airports,” said Hwange Local Board in a statement.

Currently, due to lack of a town status, Hwange is excluded from financial transfers made possible by the Devolution Fund and other government-initiated infrastructure initiatives.

Residents petitioned the government to address the issue in 2019. According to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Local Government, incorporation methods were being discussed with local and national government.

As part of efforts to transform Hwange into a town, the government established a commission in 2022 to determine if the Hwange Local Board was prepared to absorb the Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL) concession area. 

Local Government Minister July Moyo announced in a notice that a six-person commission had been formed to oversee the review. This publication has not heard of any developments since then.

According to Section 14 of the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15), the Minister of Local Government and Public Works appointed the Commission to evaluate the Hwange Local Board’s readiness for incorporation of Wankie Colliery Concession Area and upgrading to a town in response to the application for incorporation of Wankie Concession Area into Hwange Local Board and upgrading of Hwange Local Board to a town.

Residents of Hwange applauded the decision, believing it would strengthen the governance structure.

“We support the local government’s decision to include the concession area in the Hwange Local Authority because it will strengthen Hwange’s governance system. This is in accordance with Section 274 of the Constitution and the Election Act,” said Chima.

Chima said that the change would allow the council to make money when it takes over service delivery.

“Recall that we petitioned Parliament to incorporate the concession area under the Hwange Local Board, which would modify the local authority’s status so that it becomes a town rather than a local board. The concession area will now allow the local authorities to make money. It will have authority over matters relating to service delivery,” Chima added.

The coal mining town is eligible to receive a town, municipality, or city status under Chapter 29:15 of the Urban Councils Act, according to HLB Town secretary Ndumiso Mdlalose.

“At the moment, we still meet the conditions set forth in the Urban Councils Act, even before the integration of the Hwange Concession Area. The size and density of the population, taking into account the population living in dwellings, are among the Act’s requirements where we meet the established parameters,” Mdlalose said.