Hwange town
A parliamentary committee has recommended sweeping changes to local governance in Zimbabwe’s coal-mining town of Hwange, saying more than 20,000 residents living in the Hwange Colliery concession have been trapped in an administrative vacuum that has weakened service delivery, limited access to government funding and excluded them from meaningful local representation.
In a report presented to Parliament this year, the Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing recommended that the government establish a commission of inquiry into the incorporation of the concession area into the Hwange Local Board. The commission should also ensure compensation for assets owned by Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL).
The committee said the current arrangement leaves residents under the administrative authority of the Hwange Rural District Council (HRDC) but politically represented by councillors who sit under the Hwange Local Board (HLB), creating what lawmakers described as a governance anomaly.
“The residents residing within Hwange Concession areas are caught in a governance puzzle,” the committee said. “Although administratively under Hwange RDC, the area is politically represented by councillors adjudicating under Hwange Local Board.”
The inquiry followed a petition submitted by Hwange residents Tinashe Matika and Nkosikhona Sibanda. The two argued that approximately 20,000 people living in 11 wards within the Hwange concession were excluded from the service delivery responsibilities of the Hwange Local Board despite paying taxes and participating in national elections.
The petitioners asked Parliament to investigate what they described as dual local government administration and recommend the incorporation of the concession area into the Hwange Local Board in line with Section 274 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution.
To investigate the matter, the committee held public hearings and received oral and written submissions from the Hwange Local Board, Hwange Rural District Council, Hwange Colliery Company Limited, Zimbabwe Power Company, the National Railways of Zimbabwe and residents from the affected communities. The hearings exposed sharply contrasting views over the future administration of the mining town.
Hwange Rural District Council rejected claims that dual governance exists, telling lawmakers that the concession area legally falls under its jurisdiction as defined by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s 2022 delimitation exercise. According to the council, the concession area was placed under Hwange Central Constituency purely for electoral purposes, while the remainder of the district falls under Hwange West Constituency.
The council argued that incorporating the concession into the local board would significantly weaken its financial viability and disrupt development strategies already based on its existing geographic boundaries. It also warned that the concession area contributes significantly to the welfare of traditional leaders in the district and that changing jurisdiction could affect those arrangements.
The committee also heard that Hwange Colliery Company currently provides municipal-type services throughout the concession area, including fully subsidised accommodation, water, electricity and infrastructure maintenance for employees and residents. Company officials argued that service delivery within the concession compares favourably with areas administered by the Hwange Local Board.
Hwange Local Board, however, presented a different picture.
Board officials said the absence of a recognised local planning authority has resulted in scattered and uncoordinated development that is limiting Hwange’s growth into a modern urban centre. The board argued that incorporating the concession would allow for proper land-use planning, zoning, coordinated infrastructure development and the application of municipal by-laws governing traffic management and public services.
The committee also heard that HCCL, whose primary business is coal mining, is carrying responsibilities that ordinarily belong to a local authority. Board officials said transferring municipal responsibilities would allow the company to focus on its core mining operations while the local authority assumes responsibility for public services.
For HCCL, however, the issue extends beyond governance.
The company told Parliament that the concession consists of privately owned titled land protected under the Constitution. It warned that forced incorporation could expose it to the loss of assets worth about 35% of its balance sheet, including roads, water systems, sewer infrastructure, street lighting, housing and other municipal facilities developed over decades.
The company argued that any incorporation undertaken without consultation, agreement and compensation could threaten its operations and have serious economic consequences for employees and the wider Hwange community.
The committee agreed that property rights must be protected. It noted that Section 71 of the Constitution safeguards private property against compulsory acquisition without compensation.
“As such, incorporation of HCCL’s private land into HLB jurisdiction without compensation will not only be unconstitutional and unlawful, but most importantly an infringement on property rights,” the report states.
The National Railways of Zimbabwe told lawmakers it had no objection to incorporation, provided ownership and control of railway land, stations, staff housing and operational facilities remain protected.
Residents themselves expressed divided views.
Some supported incorporation, saying it could improve housing, sanitation and urban development while opening access to national government infrastructure funding. Others feared that transferring the area to the local board would introduce higher municipal rates and levies, reducing disposable incomes for workers who currently benefit from company-funded services.
Residents also questioned whether the Hwange Local Board currently has sufficient technical capacity, staffing and financial resources to manage the additional responsibilities. The committee agreed, observing that the local board would require substantial capacity building before assuming responsibility for the concession area.
It also found that residents living within the concession are currently excluded from receiving intergovernmental fiscal transfers, commonly known as devolution funds, because the area sits on privately owned land. Lawmakers said this has denied residents access to government resources intended to improve local infrastructure and service delivery.
The committee further noted that previous efforts to resolve the governance dispute had stalled. Former Local Government Minister July Moyo had previously indicated that a commission of inquiry would be established to examine the issue, but Parliament found that the commission had never been constituted.
Among its recommendations, the committee called on the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to establish a commission of inquiry to determine the feasibility of placing the entire urban area under a single local authority. It also recommended reviewing the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s 2022 delimitation report to resolve inconsistencies between electoral representation and administrative boundaries.
Should incorporation proceed, Parliament said government must first establish fair compensation arrangements for Hwange Colliery Company and strengthen the institutional capacity of Hwange Local Board to manage urban planning, infrastructure and service delivery.
The committee further recommended completing incorporation by Dec. 31, 2026, saying the move would improve access to government development funding, strengthen urban planning, modernise housing and sanitation infrastructure, improve traffic management and lay the foundation for Hwange to attain municipal status.
“The Committee recognizes that the Hwange Concession areas face a significant governance gap,” the report says, adding that effective incorporation, backed by proper planning, institutional capacity and fair compensation, would support sustainable urban growth and improve the quality of life for residents.
