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Villagers Brace for Another Displacement. This Time, It’s for Coal

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BY GAMUCHIRAI MASIYIWA

Binga, Zimbabwe — When Esther Musaka was a little girl, a large lorry dropped her family off in the middle of the wilderness. It was the late 1950s, and construction of Kariba Dam was underway. As the newly formed Lake Kariba — to date, the world’s largest man-made reservoir — swallowed large tracts of fertile land, it displaced an estimated 57,000 Tonga people living on both sides of the Zambezi River, including Musaka. Now 72, she remembers her parents piecing together temporary shelters of grass and branches. It took them nearly a year to settle.

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Decades later, the trauma of that upheaval is being felt afresh as families in Muchesu, a village in the country’s west, brace for another displacement — this time, the result of a coal mining project. In 2010, Monaf Investments Private Ltd., a local firm, was granted a special permit for coal exploration in the region; this year, it is set to commence extraction. Mining accounts for 60% of Zimbabwe’s annual exports and contributes roughly 16% to the country’s gross domestic product; the government aims to build it into a $12 billion industry by 2023. Observers, however, warn that the rush to exploit the country’s mineral resources is leading to widespread upheaval. According to one 2019 report by a local watchdog, mining projects were slated to displace at least 30,000 families within five years.

Dust engulfs the road to Muchesu, the gravel-laden trucks and bulldozers moving back and forth on it barely visible. The mining company is widening the road to facilitate heavier traffic. In Muchesu, villagers have been told not to build any new structures. Thirty-eight families are slated for relocation in the first phase of the project, says local councilor Mathias Mwinde. Another 105 will be displaced in the second phase. No one knows for certain where they will be relocated.

At her age, Musaka is racked with anxiety at the prospect of starting anew. “Who will clear the land for me?” she asks sorrowfully, smoking a gourd pipe outside her home. “I am no longer fit to do all that.”

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Nothando Mugande Mudimba, 37, was born in Muchesu. When her grandparents settled here decades ago, they struggled with wild animals for years, and she worries she will have to, too. “It will be hard to safeguard our livestock if we are moved to the mountainous area that we suspect they will take us to, because there are hyenas, elephants and lions in those forests,” she says. “I have three cows, five goats and more than 20 chickens, which can become meals for the wild animals there. We want them to ensure that we are well protected before they move us and ensure we have access to water, fencing and roads, clinics and schools.”

Village headman Wilson Munkombwe Siamulafu I, 71, worries about ready access to water. Like many others, he grows tomatoes, cabbage and rapeseed to sell locally. His grandparents used to live in Muchesu, he says, and were chased away during the colonial era — only to return in the 1950s, when the construction of Kariba Dam displaced them. “My parents said that they walked to this place because they knew it had fertile soil,” he says. “Others were brought later, by trucks.”

A tall, slim man who squints when he speaks, Munkombwe can’t help but feel helpless. “I have nothing that I can do or say because they have already chased us,” he says. “We will only follow what they say.”

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Shadreck Mwinde, 64, has already begun to feel the effects of the project. In 2020, the mine subsumed his field. The company promised him 1 ton of maize each year until the households were relocated. “I was given 1 ton last year in February,” he says, “and this year nothing has come.” (Monaf Investments did not respond to requests for comment.) This season, he cultivated a borrowed piece of land — but it yielded only four 50-kilogram (110-pound) bags of maize, not nearly enough to sustain his family of 14 children, 10 of whom live with him and his wife. He has already sold a cow to cover their schooling costs.

Earlier this year, in March, construction workers drilled two holes near his house, destroying some trees in his compound. The holes were left uncovered for a week, Mwinde says, and treated with chemicals; when it rained the holes filled with water. “Four of my goats died,” he says. “I do not know if it was because of those chemicals.” In late June, about 50 meters (164 feet) away from his house, there was a large open hole, 9 meters (30 feet) deep, guarded by security personnel. “Even though someone is manning this place, the hole is dangerous for both our children and animals,” Mwinde says, pointing toward it.

Alarmed by the rising trend in mining-induced displacements, a coalition of nongovernmental organizations collectively called Publish What You Pay has petitioned the Zimbabwean government to protect the rights of the affected. “In Zimbabwe, mining companies often fail to pay adequate and prompt compensation, give people adequate notice and follow due process before relocation,” its petition notes, adding that any project that necessitates displacement must require the unreserved consent of affected communities, relocation with prompt and fair compensation, resource sharing and adherence to international best practices.

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Effort Nkazimulo Dube, a fellow at the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, says mining-induced displacement is a growing trend. “But it’s not widely talked about, especially when communities are not coming up to report the matter,” he says, noting that there have been cases in which people who oppose mining projects are singled out. “I am not aware of any laws that prohibit double displacement,” he adds. “Mining is given a top priority in our laws, so if minerals are discovered where people live, there is a possibility of being displaced again.”

Mathias Mwinde says, “The eviction happening now is better than what happened in the 1950s. We agreed that no one will be moved before houses are built, there is access to water and affected people are given first preference for employment.” But he notes that Monaf Investments has not been clear on how much monetary compensation each family will receive. Meanwhile, Richard Moyo, state minister for provincial affairs and devolution in Matabeleland North, says the villagers are not being evicted — rather, it is “rural organization for rural development.” He adds that “intensive and extensive consultations are carried out to allow buy-in of the community.”

“Government, under new dispensation, respects property rights and upholds constitutionalism,” he says, “hence the concerns of the affected community are taken on board with a view to make whatever investment to give that community a better livelihood.” Indeed, the new development pleases some in Muchesu. Chitondezyo Murisaka, 31 and a father of one, has worked at the mine for the past five months and earns a daily wage of $7. “Because of the job, I have managed to pay part of my lobola [a bride price paid by the husband to the wife’s family] for my wife,” he says.

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But Musaka and Mudimba worry that what will be lost can never be compensated. “My children’s ancestral spirits are here,” says Mudimba. “Sometimes when a child gets sick, prophets and traditional healers tell you to visit the graves and do certain things for the child to heal.” Musaka says many of her relatives were buried along the Zambezi where her family used to live. “Their graves were covered by the river, and we have no trace of them anymore. This is what is going to happen again,” she says. In her old age, her one wish is to be buried beside her husband. “If I am moved, that will not happen.”- Global Press

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MPs raise alarm over illegal gold mining threatening Inyathi hospital

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care has raised serious concern over illegal gold mining activities taking place directly beneath Inyathi District Hospital in Bubi District, Matabeleland North — warning that the facility’s infrastructure could collapse if the practice continues unchecked.

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The revelation came during the committee’s ongoing verification visits to rural health centres across Zimbabwe, aimed at assessing the state of medical infrastructure, equipment, and essential drug availability. The visits, led by Hon. Daniel Molokele, are being conducted on behalf of the committee chairperson, Hon. Dr. Thokozani Khupe.

Speaking to VicFallsLive, Molokele said the team was shocked to discover that artisanal miners (amakorokoza) had extended their illegal mining tunnels under the hospital grounds.

“One of the things that we found at Inyathi District Hospital is that amakorokoza are now doing their gold mining right under the hospital,” said Molokele. “They used to do it outside, but now they have gone beneath the facility. There is a real risk that the infrastructure might collapse because of the underground pressure. This is lawlessness that the government urgently needs to address.”

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Molokele added that the situation reflects broader governance and enforcement challenges in mining communities, where unregulated artisanal mining continues to threaten both public safety and environmental health.

“Most of the cases that patients come with are physical wounds — largely injuries from violent clashes among the amakorokoza,” he said. “There’s a lot of violence happening there, and it is putting a heavy burden on an already under-resourced hospital.”

The committee, which began its tour on Monday in Inyathi before proceeding to Avoca in Insiza District (Matabeleland South), Gundura in Masvingo, and Mutiusinazita in Buhera (Manicaland), is compiling findings that will inform parliamentary recommendations.

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“We will produce a report that will have clear recommendations,” Molokele said. “The National Assembly will debate it, and the Minister of Health will use it to engage the Minister of Finance, especially in the upcoming budget process. We are hoping for a renewed focus on rural healthcare centres, which have been neglected and underfunded for many years.”

Molokele said the verification exercise — though limited by time and financial constraints — seeks to highlight conditions in at least one rural health facility per province.

The committee’s findings come at a time when Zimbabwe’s rural health infrastructure is under severe strain, with many facilities struggling with drug shortages, outdated equipment, and deteriorating buildings. The situation in Inyathi now adds a new dimension of danger — where illegal mining is not only threatening livelihoods but also public infrastructure meant to save lives.

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Painted Dog Conservation and Uncommon bring free coding school to Gwai Valley Primary

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

Painted Dog Conservation (PDC), in partnership with technology-driven organisation Uncommon, is set to establish a free coding school at Gwai Valley Primary in Lupane District, marking a new chapter in community empowerment and education.

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Speaking during an interview with VicFallsLive, PDC operations director, David Kuvawoga said the initiative stems from the organisation’s long-term work with local schools through its children’s bush camps.

“In our quest to find solutions to the poaching crisis, and building on the work we’ve done with schools over the years, we identified Gwai Primary as a good location to start a coding school,” he explained. “We partnered with Uncommon, which already runs facilities in Harare and Victoria Falls, to bring this opportunity closer to rural communities.”

The school will be housed in container units equipped with computers and other necessary technology. According to PDC, the project will be led by youths from the Gwai community who underwent year-long training in Victoria Falls and are now prepared to teach children — and adults — the fundamentals of coding.

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“This is not just for schoolchildren,” the operations director said. “Anyone in the community with the passion to learn can join. What matters is the interest and commitment, not formal qualifications.”

Importantly, the programme will be free of charge. Both organisations confirmed that tuition, equipment, and running costs are fully covered through fundraising efforts.

“No one is going to pay a cent,” he said. “Just like our bush camps, which host over a thousand children every year without charge, this coding school is fully funded. All the community needs to do is embrace it.”

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PDC has previously supported communities through projects such as boreholes and gardens, but this marks its first major investment in technology. The director said the initiative has the potential to address unemployment, improve education, and give local youth world-class digital skills.

“Coding is a highly sought-after skill across the world,” he noted. “If young people here can learn it, they can secure jobs or even create employment for others. This is a brick in the foundation of uplifting Lupane, Hwange, and beyond.”

The coding school is expected to open in December at Gwai Valley Primary.

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Lupane police officer sentenced for tampering with mbanje evidence

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BY WANDILE TSHUMA 

A 21-year-old constabulary officer in Lupane has been convicted after admitting he tampered with evidence in a drug possession case, effectively helping a suspect conceal part of the stash.

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The officer, Nqobile Mutale, was on duty at Lupane Terminus Base on the 18th of September when he arrested Thulani Sibanda, who had been implicated in unlawful possession of dagga/imbanje. Instead of handing over the full exhibit, Mutale struck a deal with Sibanda and hid part of the recovered drugs behind the police base.

Detectives later uncovered the hidden dagga, with Mutale leading them to the site during investigations.

Standing before the Lupane Magistrates’ Court, Mutale pleaded guilty to obstructing the course of justice. He was handed a 24-month sentence, with nine months suspended. The balance of 15 months was also suspended, provided he completes 525 hours of community service.

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