Villagers with
the assistance of Tinashe Chinopfukutwa and Kelvin Kabaya of the Zimbabwe
Lawyers for Human Rights filed an application for contempt of court against the
Chinese Lebanmon Investments Company.
The villagers
represented by Gift Kapere and Jonathan Chimufombo cited Lebanmon Investments
and its representative Daniel Mlalazi as respondents in the matter.
They are
seeking an order directing the Chinese company to stop setting up the cement
manufacturing plant on their farming and grazing lands.
They approached
the High Court after allegedly getting no joy from the Environmental Management
Authority (EMA), the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Ministry of
Local Government, among other government agencies.
In February,
High Court judge Justice Philda Muzofa ordered the company to stop further
commencement works at Wih-Zim Construction Material Investments cement
manufacturing plant pending the outcome of investigations by EMA.
In her latest
ruling, Muzofa also slapped the Chinese firm with a US$3000 fine for contempt.
“The first and
second respondent be and are hereby found to be in contempt of this court’s
provisional order issued on the 4th of February under case number HCCC15/25,”
the court ruling issued on October 1 read.
“The first and
second respondent be and are hereby ordered to stop all works at the Wih-Zim
Construction material investments cement manufacturing plant in Magunje,
Hurungwe...
“The first and
the second respondent is hereby sentenced to 30 days improvement wholly
suspended on condition that the second respondent ensures that the first
respondent complies with this order.”
In August, EMA
fined the cement maker US$5 000 for failing to comply with the conditions set
in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate.
The EIA
certificate issued by EMA requires that no project activities proceed until all
affected individuals are compensated and relocated, as outlined in its special
conditions.
EMA is a
statutory body responsible for ensuring the sustainable management of natural
resources and protection of the environment.
In their court
application, the villagers said they were never consulted and learnt of the
developments after the company descended in the area in December 2023 and
fenced off vast tracts of land.
In October last
year, the villages appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on
Lands, Agriculture Mechanisation and Irrigation, voicing their concerns over
the cement manufacturing plant.
The issue has
also divided Zanu PF leadership, with factions forming over the project’s
future. Standard
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