Parliamentary Portfolio Committee blocked from touring Hwange Colliery  

A PARLIAMENTARY Portfolio Committee was recently turned away from Hwange Colliery Company Limited after management said it had not been notified about the visit.

The incident happened as the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development began a tour of mining and energy companies, with Hwange Colliery as its first stop.

Committee chair Remigious Matangira expressed frustration at being denied access to the state-owned mine.

“The majority shareholder is government, and we are government. But when government, which is us, is not allowed in its own house, what do you tell an outsider? I can’t, I have no words,” Matangira said.

“If your own refuses you, a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee, how do you expect an outsider to accept you?” he lamented.

Management told the MPs that they had not been briefed about the scheduled tour and could not allow the visit to proceed.

Hwange Colliery is majority-owned by government and is currently working to revive operations after it was placed under administration in 2018 to address mounting debts. 

Key turnaround projects include the redevelopment of the underground mine and the revival of the coke oven battery, both seen as critical to restoring the company’s viability.

The blocked visit comes as Parliament intensifies oversight of the mining sector, with committees expected to inspect operations, assess challenges, and engage management on performance and governance.

Matangira said the committee would seek clarity from relevant authorities to ensure such access issues do not recur, noting that oversight is a constitutional duty.

Hwange Colliery officials were not immediately available for further comment.

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