Zanu PF Dinde area chairperson Never Chuma is set to appear
in court on May 16 for trial on charges of inciting public violence after
leading villagers in a protest against the coal mining venture by Beifa
Investments (Pvt) Ltd last week.
Chuma, who is also the Dinde Residents Association (DRA)
deputy chairperson, was released on $10 000 bail on Saturday.
The Beifa Investment (Pvt) Ltd coal mining project has
caused uproar in the Dinde community with villagers fearing eviction from their
ancestral lands.
The project has been failing to take off since 2019 owing
to resistance from villagers with support from human rights groups and Zanu PF
members in the district.
The Chinese company started setting base in Dinde last
Wednesday, pitching tents and offloading machinery. The company intends to
construct a 270 megawatt coal-fired power plant.
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs minister Richard Moyo
told Southern Eye that government would not tolerate attempts to disrupt the
coal mining project, adding that armed
police had been deployed to the area to “protect” the investor.
“We promised people jobs and we will not tolerate any
behaviour from individuals even from our party, and others who want to play
politics with this investment,” Moyo said.
On April 15, Beifa Investment lodged a complaint against
Zanu PF members such as Chuma and the shadow Hwange Central constituency
legislator Reeds Dube for allegedly inciting community members to beat up
company officials.
“That Chinese company has its papers in order; they have
shown that they have the capacity and also want to build a coal-fired plant to
feed into the national grid to ease electricity challenges. As such, I have
instructed police to protect the investor and arrest those ones who want to
cause chaos with intent to sabotage the project,” Moyo added.
However, the Centre for Natural Resources Governance (CNRG)
described Moyo’s threats to villagers as unfortunate.
“The utterances (by Moyo) … unfortunate and distressing as
they reflect government thinking regarding mining since the turn of the
millennium. Mining has become the single largest contributor to our economic
ruin,” CNRG director Farai Maguwu said.
“Not a single community affected by mining is smiling in
Zimbabwe, but the rich and powerful are ready even to spill blood to impose
organised criminal gangs on communities. Any project or investor that is
imposed on a community will not benefit that community. It is organised crime
and will benefit criminal networks. Dinde is a replay of Marange (diamond
fields).” Newsday
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