According to Bhejane Trust, the proposed mining area falls within the Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ), a critical area set up to protect the park’s remaining black rhinos.

If mining proceeds, these rhinos would have to be relocated, as their survival would be incompatible with the mining operations.

The Trust argued that the impacts would extend beyond wildlife: tourism in Sinamatella would suffer, leading to the closure of tourist camps, loss of business, and damage to the park’s infrastructure.

Sinamatella would effectively need to be de-proclaimed as a park due to the environmental degradation that mining would cause.

The influx of workers and heavy machinery would also expose the area to increased poaching, both for bush meat and commercial purposes.

In addition, mining operations would likely lead to severe pollution of water sources, destruction of infrastructure, and social issues such as prostitution, with little to no benefit for the country as a whole.

Bhejane Trust asserted that the environmental consequences of coal mining in Sinamatella would be devastating.

It would destroy the park’s ecosystem, endanger biodiversity, and significantly harm wildlife habitats, particularly for the black rhinos.

Mining would also negatively affect tourism, deterring visitors not just from Sinamatella but from the broader Victoria Falls region, resulting in major losses for Zimbabwe’s tourism industry.

Furthermore, the contamination of water sources would not only threaten the park’s animals but also local communities who rely on these waters.

Allowing coal mining in Sinamatella would undermine Zimbabwe’s conservation efforts and its commitment to protecting the nation’s natural resources.