BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI
Hundreds of villagers from Binga’s Lubimbi area say they are facing an uncertain future as the government is keeping them in the dark about the construction of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam, which will displace them.
The gigantic dam being constructed on the confluence of two major rivers in Matabeleland North – Gwayi and Shangani – will have a holding capacity of 650 million cubic metres of water.
It is a central component of the long-awaited Zambezi Water Project that is touted as a permanent solution to Bulawayo’s perennial water shortages and the Chinese contractor says the dam will be completed by end of this year.
Lubimbi villagers, who are estimated to be over 2 500, say even though the dam is nearing competition the government has not shared any information about their imminent relocation or progress on the construction of the dam despite its far-reaching impact on their future.
The panicking villagers have since written to the Binga rural district council chief executive officer Joshua Muzamba demanding answers about their proposed relocation and the fate of infrastructure around the Lubimbi area that would be affected by the dam.
In the letter by their lawyer Jabulani Mhlanga from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, the Lubimbi villagers they only became aware of the construction of the dam in December 2019 through the grapevine.
The villagers say the have since then been seeking information about the dam and their relocation from relevant government departments without any success.
“According to our clients, Chiboni and Magani villages with at least 500 to 600 households and a population of more than 2 500 people and 2 000 herd of cattle are likely to be relocated,” reads part of the letter by Mhlanga.
“About 1 506 hectares of land, Lubimbi Number2 Primary School with a yearly enrolment of about 300 students, community projects such as cattle pens, a dip tank (and) 16 boreholes just to mention a few will be lost.”
The letter added: “Access to the local clinic and Lubimbi High School will be a challenge.
“All these services are critical to the wellbeing of the Lubimbi community.
“Further, cultural sites, being the burial sites and a rain making shrine, which is important to the Tonga community in Lubimbi will also be lost.
“We state all these to highlight the grave concerns our clients have.”
The community argued that they are being forced to rely on the media when seeking information about the construction of the dam.
They demanded a response within seven days.
The letter was also copied to the provincial environment manager and the district coordinator.
The government has remained mum about the relocation of people that would be displaced by the dam whose construction began during the Robert Mugabe era.