HUNDREDS of Chivhu villagers are set to be evicted from their ancestral land to pave way for a 12 000-hectare iron and steel mining project by a Chinese company, Tsingshan Group Holdings.
Majority of the residents who are set to lose their homes
are in ward 7 in Chikomba district where Dinson Iron and Steel Company, a
subsidiary of the Tsingshan Group Holdings, has already started preparations
for extracting iron in the Manhize area, some 60km west of Chivhu town.
Former Zimbabwean ambassador to China and Zanu PF member
Chris Mutsvangwa is reportedly spearheading the project. Mutsvangwa admitted
his involvement ion the new iron and steel venture.
“Where I have an interest, I declare it, like in the case
of this giant mining venture,” he said.
When NewsDay Weekender visited the site on Wednesday,
construction was underway, with villagers saying they were not sure of whether
they would be allocated alternative land.
Although the villagers said they had not yet been formally
notified of the evictions some of them had already lost their farming land and
more were expecting to suffer the same fate as the mining project was fast
expanding its territory.
“We expected the government to engage and give us full
information about this whole project,” James Munemo (39), one of the affected
villagers said.
“We thought they would come with a clear position on the
nature of the project. We expected authorities to publicise the names of those
who would be affected by the project well in time so that we are not ambushed
with evictions.
“That is not the case here. We just see them (the Chinese
miners) constructing roads, cutting across our fields and we have not been
given an opportunity to engage them on what is best for us. We can’t stop
them.”
Another villager, Queen Dhliwayo said although she had not
yet lost land to the Chinese miners, seeing others losing theirs had unsettled
her. “Neighbours have already lost land and I am afraid it may affect me too,”
Dhliwayo said.
“I am not sure of what will happen because authorities have
not yet updated us on the progress of the project besides notifying us that
there was an investor who was undertaking mining activities in this area. I
hope the government will come and address us on the way forward and ensure that
those who are displaced get compensation.”
Chikomba Rural District Council chairperson Israel Dhikinya
confirmed that villagers would be displaced, but did not disclose further
details.
He said the local authority had embraced the Chinese
project as it would give the transit town a massive facelift through
infrastructure development and job creation.
“The land is not going to be taken in one day because the
production will be done in phases,” Dhikinya said.
“This will be done over years. The Manhize area is a
resettlement area with a limited population, hence those who are going to be
displaced in the area are not as many as they would have been, if it were a
communal area.”
However, investigations conducted by NewsDay Weekender show
that several villagers had settled for over 30 years in the area, way before
the land resettlement programme of the early 2000s.
Mines and Mining Development minister Winston Chitando was
not available for comment on his mobile phone.
But speaking in Parliament recently, Mines and Mining
Development deputy minister Polite Kambamura said the Chinese company was yet
to determine the actual number of villagers who would be relocated.
“Currently, there is no determination that has been made as
to how many people will be relocated,” Kambamura said.
“There is an environmental impact assessment (EIA) that is
being undertaken and after the conclusion of the EIA report, that is when the
company will know how many families will be moved from the project area.
“They are yet to determine the exact location of the
project area and to see which families will be affected. Whatever will be done in the relocation of
the families, it will be done in consultation with the local leadership and
also the company will undertake to meet all the costs of relocation which
include building of houses for the affected families.”
Chivhu Residents and Ratepayers Alliance chairperson Collen
Zvarevashe said it was important for government to keep residents well-informed
about the project.
“If the development is for us, it should include us.
Government should be transparent on public affairs. Instead of welcoming the
project, villagers are shunning it.
“Government should go back to the drawing board on this
project to ensure inclusivity and that harmony prevails between the villagers
and the investors. Government cannot continue professing ignorance on the
number of those who are to be affected when there is already progress on the
ground.”
Thousands of villagers in other parts of the country are
facing similar challenges over Chinese mining projects. Newsday
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