Zimbabwe’s Environmental Management Act has provisions promoting the conduct of environmental impact assessment (EIA) prior to project implementation to protect the environment and environmental rights. Using data collection methods inspired by phenomenological study, this paper discusses if EIA processes by a gold mining company had mainstreamed or marooned ‘access rights’ which are the cornerstone of environmental democracy. While the Zimbabwe’s EIA policy is applauded for covertly mainstreaming environmental democracy, research findings suggest that there exist gaps in the policy framework, policy and practice in promoting comprehensive environmental democracy. EIA processes are done to fulfil legal obligations but with little motivation to protect community interests as participation is symbolic. It is recommended to redesign EIA policy and embed broader attributes of environmental democracy such as locals’ participation in all EIA stages and inclusion of experts on community issues in the EIA review panel to promote fairness, inclusivity, transparency during EIA.
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The purpose of the study was to model the clustering of COVID-19 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. A cross-sectional study design was used to provide a snapshot of the occurrence of COVID-19 in Bulawayo at a particular time. About 246 COVID-19 cases were randomly selected from the list of cases that occurred in Bulawayo as of 1 August 2020. The data was analyzed in ArcGIS using spatial autocorrelation and hotspot analysis. From the observed pattern, the results demonstrated a significant overall spatial autocorrelation and clustering of COVID-19 cases in Bulawayo. The hotspot analysis showed hotspot localities around the Western Suburbs such as Nkulumane, Cowdry Park, and Luveve. These are high-density suburbs, endorsing that pattern of COVID-19 infections is related to the population density pattern in Bulawayo. In conclusion, hotspot areas detected in this study can help identify future infectious disease surveillance.
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