By Nokuthaba Dlamini
Conservation and tourism groups in Hwange have sounded the alarm over a proposed detour that would redirect heavy traffic through key wildlife corridors during rehabilitation of the Bulawayo–Victoria Falls highway.
The temporary route, planned by road contractor Asphalt Products, would reroute vehicles from Cross Mabale through Mpofu Turn, Dete Shops, and Cross Dete, a stretch cutting across the Hwange National Park buffer zone.
In three letters sent to the company between 16 and 17 October, conservation bodies and tourism associations warned that the detour could endanger wildlife, threaten community safety, and damage Hwange’s fragile ecosystem and tourism appeal.
In a letter dated 17 October, Shamah Mawoko, coordinator of the Association for Tourism Hwange (ATH), said while the sector supports the government’s infrastructure programme, “the current detour proposal… redirects heavy traffic through a route that traverses sensitive wildlife and community areas.”
“This corridor lies adjacent to key wildlife habitats where species such as elephants, zebras, antelope, and many more freely move between protected and communal lands,” Mawoko wrote. “Increased heavy vehicle movement at high speeds poses a serious risk of collisions, disturbance to animal behaviour, and habitat degradation.”
She warned that the roads earmarked for the detour were not designed to handle trucks and tankers, saying the plan “raises questions about compliance with national engineering and environmental guidelines.”
“Progress must not come at the cost of coexistence,” Mawoko added, urging the contractor and authorities to consider shorter or alternative routes away from wildlife corridors.
Peter Blinston, executive director of Painted Dog Conservation (PDC), said the proposed route “forms part of a critical wildlife corridor and buffer that supports the safe movement of animals between Hwange National Park and surrounding communal lands.”
He warned that “the introduction of commercial traffic through this sensitive zone would pose a grave risk to wildlife, particularly the endangered painted dog, (Iganyana) elephant, and other large mammals that frequently traverse the area.”
Blinston also raised concern over the lack of consultation with conservation stakeholders before the decision was made.
“We therefore respectfully request that all current works preparing this route for commercial traffic be immediately suspended pending consultation and environmental assessment,” he said.
Sharon Stead, chief executive of the Amalinda Safari Collection, which operates Khulu Bush Camp, Sable Valley and Ivory Lodge, said the detour “channels high-volume, heavy traffic through minor district roads and passes directly through the main access point for Hwange National Park.”
“These secondary roads are not suited to such vehicular load,” she wrote. “The resulting delays, road degradation, and impact on guest transfers and supply lines will severely compromise service standards.”
She added that “introducing heavy-truck traffic into these sensitive corridors will demonstrably elevate the risk of severe animal mortality,” undermining both tourism and conservation gains in the area.
Stead urged Asphalt Products to “immediately place the current detour plan under review” and consider an existing commercial route that bypasses wildlife zones.
The three organisations jointly called for a review involving the Ministry of Transport, ZimParks, the Forestry Commission, and other relevant authorities to identify safer alternatives that balance infrastructure development with conservation needs.
They cautioned that Hwange’s global reputation as a leading wildlife and tourism destination, recently reaffirmed when Forbes ranked Zimbabwe among the world’s top countries to visit, could be at risk if the proposed detour proceeds.
Asphalt Products had not yet responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.
However, Painted Dog Conservation confirmed that the company has agreed to meet with conservation and tourism stakeholders on Wednesday to discuss the concerns and explore possible alternatives.
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