The five, four
women and one man, were named by their lawyer, Thulani Nkala of Dube and Nkala
Legal Practitioners, as Chentani Mathe, Definite Munsaka, Simangele Singa,
Linnet Zulu and Likhwa Nyathi. They are expected to appear in court.
Sources close
to the matter said the company has already constructed a pipeline designed to
draw water from the dam. In return, ZhongJin Heli Energy allegedly proposed to
fence the community irrigation scheme and provide it with a centre pivot.
Ward councillor
Wonder Ncube confirmed the matter, revealing that he and some villagers had
previously been arrested over the dispute.
“This issue has
been happening for a while. As the councillor of the area, I have been going
with the people, we were once arrested for that issue. In these past days I
have been attending other community issues, I heard that people were arrested
yesterday, as we speak six of them are in cells, but I haven’t gone there yet,”
he said.
He added that
villagers fear the project will worsen water shortages.
“There is a dam
supporting Lukosi irrigation scheme which has 73 farmers, they are also doing
command agriculture. The issue is that they are saying the water is little for
them to share with the Chinese company doing thermal power station. The
challenge is that this company is saying they paid money to Zimbabwe National
Water Authority (ZINWA), who is saying is the owner of the water, so the
irrigation scheme is also buying water from ZINWA.”
Ncube said the
community believes ZINWA’s decision is unfair.
“Now Diki
community is saying the dam is theirs, they are the ones who built it. They are
saying what ZINWA is doing is unfair because the water is little. They are
saying they have not been utilizing the other side because there is little
water for the past years and now ZINWA coming in to say the water is enough to
supply the irrigation scheme and the industry.”
He warned that
diverting water to the company would threaten livelihoods.
“As a
councillor I am saying this is unfair because this irrigation has been the
people’s livelihood. If this dam dries up, people are going to suffer. I have
been to the dam and there is indeed little water,” he said.
Hwange District
Residents Association chairperson, Herbert Ncube, also condemned the company’s
actions.
“Now the
Chinese came over, they didn’t make an arrangement for themselves, the dam is
actually for the community. The Chinese are now encroaching, we don’t know who
is politically giving them that power, but what I know for a fact is that there
are certain individuals who have been involved and we are told money exchanged
hands,” he said.
“The incident
is unacceptable and this is actually undermining the gains that the community
have benefitted from what government had done for them and why should the
Chinese have an upper hand over our communities. We don’t like it, we are not
happy and we are not impressed by this,” he added.
Some sources
alleged Hwange Local Board chairperson, Peterson Ncube, was facilitating the
company’s access to the community. When contacted, he dismissed the claims as
“highly misplaced and malicious.”
Diki Village
Head, Joseph Change, said ZhongJin Heli Energy sought water from the government
and ZINWA, which approved the request.
“There was a
meeting and the Minister (Richard Moyo) was there, ZINWA said there is enough
water to supply the irrigation and the Chinese. It was agreed during the
meeting,” he said.
Change said
while pipes were being laid, villagers resisted and called the police.
“But there is
an agreement and a contract signed by ZINWA and the Chinese,” he said, adding
that the meeting had been attended by the Minister, the District Development
Coordinator’s office, headmen, farmers, ZINWA and the President’s Office.
“People were
arrested yesterday, there is nothing I can say. During the meeting people
didn’t say anything since the Minister chaired the meeting and said this should
be there since ZINWA said there is enough water. Although the farmers didn’t
want, during the meeting no one complained maybe out of respect for the
Minister or fear, you may never know. But when they were outside they were
complaining that the dam will run dry, their plants will die,” he said. CITE
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