EnviroPress Reporter

Macdonald Mudzaki of EnviroPress Zimbabwe was last week honored with the Best Climate Change Story Award at the Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG) 27th Environmental Reporter Awards.

The award ceremony, held on December 04, 2025, at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare, were meant to celebrate journalists who demonstrated outstanding commitment to raising public awareness on critical environmental issues in Zimbabwe.

Mudzaki got the award courtesy of a story published in June, detailing how severe drops in lowveld dams, attributable in part to the 2023-2024 El Niño-induced dry spell, still impacted the sugar industry which represents the largest economic sector in the largely semi-arid Chiredzi district.

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He reported how erratic rainfall patterns, persistent irrigation challenges, and rising temperatures collectively affected sugar cane production, threatening both the sustainability of the industry and the rural livelihoods that depend on it.

“It’s an incredible honour to be recognized for my work on climate change,” said Mudzaki after he was announced winner. “Reporting on these issues is both a responsibility and a privilege, especially at a time when Zimbabwe’s agriculture sector is facing serious climate challenges,” Mudzaki said.

The story also highlighted the urgent need for the adoption of climate-adaptive practices including strategic investment in irrigation infrastructure, and stronger policy support from government to assist local farmers.

“I am grateful to Rainbow Tourism Group and Environment Africa for promoting environmental reporting. Stories like mine show how climate change is not just an abstract problem—it directly impacts farmers, industries, and communities across the country,” he said.

 The 27th edition of the RTG Environmental Reporter Awards recognized excellence across several categories including Waste Management and Recycling, Wildlife Conservation, Water and Sanitation, Sustainable Livelihoods, Gender and the Environment, Renewable Energy, and Sustainable Forest Management.

Mudzaki is a beneficiary of a biodiversity and conservation reporting training programme implemented in 2022 by EnviroPress Zimbabwe with support from WAN-IFRA Media Freedom’s Strengthening African Media project.

“It is deeply encouraging to see the little efforts that we have invested in communities blossoming into success stories. Mudzaki is committed to his work and we are confident he will do us more proud,” said EnviroPress Zimbabwe deputy editor Upenyu Chaota.