By Ezra Munsaka, Spokesperson – Zimbabwe Youth Institute for Climate Resilience (Hwange District)
As a youth from Hwange, a district scarred and shaped by decades of coal mining, I have witnessed firsthand the deep and lasting impact of extractive industries on our communities. The recent training session hosted by the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG), under the theme “Re-imagining the Future Approaches to Extractives and Climate Justice” and the powerful motto #PeopleOverProfit, could not have come at a more critical time.
My name is Ezra Munsaka, the newly elected Spokesperson for Hwange District under the Zimbabwe Youth Institute for Climate Resilience. I attended this transformative session with a sense of urgency and hope, and I left equipped, empowered, and deeply motivated to act.
Shifting the Narrative: From Extraction to Accountability
The training offered practical tools and insights that highlighted the importance of transparency, participation, and accountability in the extractive sector. I gained a deeper understanding of three key areas:
1. Transparency and Accountability: Natural resources should primarily benefit the communities that host them. The training made it clear that without transparency and accountability, these resources enrich the few while impoverishing the many. As the motto #PeopleOverProfit suggests, development must begin with the people most directly affected.
2. Climate Justice: The session emphasized the environmental cost of extraction. I learned that any discussion about extractives must also be a conversation about sustainability. Climate justice means ensuring that the mining of today does not compromise the environment of tomorrow.
3. Re-Imagining Extractives: As a youth leader, I was challenged to critically interrogate who truly benefits from mining operations. Back in Hwange, the reality is disheartening mineral wealth abounds, yet local communities remain underdeveloped. This begs the question — if our lands are so rich, why are our people so poor? Who is benefiting? These questions have become the foundation of my advocacy.
My Commitment to Hwange
Armed with the knowledge and vision imparted during the training, I am more determined than ever to take concrete steps toward justice in the extractive sector. As a youth leader in Hwange District, I pledge to:
Advocate for transparency and accountability-I will use my platform to ensure that local communities are not sidelined in conversations about resource governance. Their voices must shape how wealth is shared.
Promote sustainable development and climate justice– There is a need to raise awareness about environmental protection through active engagement with local authorities, stakeholders, and private entities operating in our communities.
Hold government and corporations accountable- I return to Hwange motivated to initiate dialogue with government agencies and demand responsible practices from corporations. People must come before profit, and environmental harm must be accounted for.
A Call to Youths and Stakeholders
This is not a fight I can take on alone. I call on fellow youths, community leaders, and national stakeholders to rise with me in demanding a just and sustainable extractive model.
We must:
- Push for policy reforms that put communities first and promote environmental stewardship.
- Support communities that are directly affected by mining, ensuring they receive the protection and benefits they deserve.
- Raise awareness about the urgent need for reform in the extractive sector, ensuring that every Zimbabwean understands the stakes.
Re-imagining the Future
This training by CNRG was more than just a workshop; it was a call to action. A call for youths like me to imagine and build a future where natural resources uplift communities instead of exploiting them. A future where the environment is protected, not plundered. A future that is led by informed, bold, and united young people.
The future is ours to shape. Let’s make it just.