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Displacement of villagers a human rights violation

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Displacement of villagers a human rights violation

The displacement of villagers from their ancestral land to pave way for corporate activities is increasingly becoming one of the major human rights violations in the country, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) has said.

Vongai Mbara

In a statement to commemorate International Day of Peace held yesterday, ZimRights called out the government for displacing communities and “parcelling out the land to businesses run by friends and families of the ruling elite”.

“ZimRights, therefore, calls on the government of Zimbabwe to participate in the peace-building journey by respecting the rights of the people of Zimbabwe as enshrined in the Bill of Rights,” ZimRights said.

“During the course of the year, we have documented serious violations of human rights that are an affront to our Constitutional obligation to work for the peace and justice of all. (These include) the displacement of communities from their ancestral and agricultural lands to pave way for big businesses that are owned by friends and families of the ruling elite.”

Thousands of villagers throughout the country are facing eviction, while others have already been displaced to pave way for Chinese mining companies.

The International Day of Peace was held under the theme ‘Recovering Better for an Equitable and Sustainable World.’

Chinese to siphon tourist attraction’s water for mining purposes

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Chinese to siphon tourist attraction’s water for mining purposes

Mutorashanga citizens have expressed great concern that Green-pool, a tourist attraction site, is about to be siphoned off its water by a Chinese company for mining purposes.

Shantel Chisango

The local residents have therefore called on the government to intervene and protect the tourist attraction site which serves the purpose of developing the tourism sector, a pillar of National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).

“As residents, we would appreciate it if the government protects this vital attraction and helps us develop it in the interests of developing tourism which is a pillar of  National Development Strategy 1,” said the petition.

Furthermore, the petition stated Green-pool is also among international tourist attraction sites just like Chinhoyi Caves hence the urge for the Chinese company not to siphon the water.

They went on to urge the Chinese company to drill its own borehole for the water they need for mining purposes.

Adding on, the petition stated that Mutorashanga citizens are not against any mining activities on the site, but are disagreeing with the idea of draining water from the pool.

“Whilst we would have no objection to any mining activities on the site, we would fail to comprehend why foreign mining interests seek to draw water from the pool instead of drilling boreholes for their water requirements.”

Mutorashanga is waiting on the government to hear their petition.

Extractive sector important towards the development of Zim

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Extractive sector important towards the development of Zim

Regional Governance, Research and Policy Officer at Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) Veronica Zano has stressed the importance of managing the extractive sector saying they contribute heavily to the economic development of the country.

Shantel Chisango

Speaking at the Zimbabwe Multi-Stakeholder Debt Conference held at the Rainbow Towers today, she added that if governed properly, they can play a vital role in the eradication of poverty, especially in developing countries.

“Minerals have immense potential to drive growth, support, sustainable development, and reduce poverty in developing countries,” she said.

Zano went on to say that it is high time that the country realizes how it can take advantage of the mineral resources it is endowed with to help in the development of the economy, as well as for settling public debts.

“There is, therefore, a need to identify how Zimbabwe’s extractive sector can be an engine for sustainable development and more importantly the addressing the country’s huge public debt deficit,” added Zano.

It is however important to note that the mining sector alone cannot strengthen and properly be the only catalyst in developing the country, but there must be efforts by the government to push other sectors in strengthening the economy.

“Mining on itself can never catapult the nation to the developments that it wants, on its own, but there should be efforts by the government to ensure that resources underpin development from other economies,” said Veronica.

During the meeting, she mentioned that the mining sector is a volatile place where prices can sky-rocket, and at the same time can fall abruptly, hence the country’s sheer value of extractive industry being infested with many challenges.

“Zimbabwe’s sheer value of the extractive industry has been riddled with a lot of challenges which include not always being able to collect appropriate levels of revenues, and illicit financial flows.”

Muzarabani oil company nominated Africa’s oil and energy awards

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Muzarabani oil company nominated Africa’s oil and energy awards

Australian Stock Exchange-listed oil and gas exploration firm with operations in Muzabani, Mashonaland Central, Invictus Energy Ltd has been nominated for Best Independent player in Africa for the Big 5 Board Awards at the Africa E&P Summit and Exhibition.

Rudairo Mapuranga

The Big Five Board Awards are the longest-standing awards for Africa’s oil and gas industry. Awarded since 1996 and with over 150 recipients to date, the Big Five Board Awards enter an incredible 25th year. The winners will be revealed at the Big Five Board Awards ceremony as the finale of the Africa E&P Summit. The awards ceremony celebrates the best individuals and companies active in Africa’s oil & gas sector. There are five award categories within the Big Five Board Awards and a special category for Africa’s Oil Legend.

Award Categories

  • Distinguished Individual Contribution to the African Industry
  • Corporate Contribution to African Petroleum & Excellence
  • Africa’s Independent Player of the Year
  • Service & Supply Company of the Year
  • African National Oil Company of the Year
  • Africa’s Oil Legend Award

The Africa E&P Summit brings together Africa’s upstream industry for a unique event shaped for companies active in Africa’s oil and energy game and provides unrivalled insight into the Continent’s fast-changing exploration and energy horizon. The Africa E&P Summit will be a hybrid event, encompassing an in-person conference in London in which an online audience also participates.

Govt finally address Chinese mine saga in Uzumba

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Govt finally address Chinese mine saga in Uzumba

Top government and ZANU PF officials recently visited Kaseke village in Uzumba on a fact-finding mission after a Chinese mining company reportedly took over an entire village to extract black granite.

Vongai Mbara

The delegation included Local Government minister July Moyo, Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs minister Apolonia Munzverengwi, Mines deputy minister Polite Kambamura, Zanu PF acting Mashonaland East provincial chairperson Michael Madanha, the area’s traditional leader Chief Nyajina and Uzumba legislator Simbaneuta Mudarikwa, among others.

During the briefing, village leaders, Chief Nyajina and Mudarikwa accused provincial mines officers of being “reckless” in granting Heijin Mining Company the nod to operate in the area without following due procedure.

The mines officers had earlier submitted that at least 20 households would be affected by the Chinese miner’s activities.

This angered Chief Nyajina, who accused the mines officers of misrepresenting facts to the delegation.

He said the number of affected households was more than 70.

Speaking to journalists in Uzumba, Kambamura admitted that some loopholes led to the pegging of the mine on the village.

“We travelled here to hear the complaints from the villagers and that there were some irregularities in the way the claims were pegged. Miners operating here did not do enough consultations, so we have taken note of the grievances,” he said.

“We are going to invite the miners and our officials who are working in this province to come to the ministry and explain what actually transpired in the issuance of those licences.”

Heijin Mining Company has pegged the whole of Kaseke Village to extract the black granite from two nearby mountains.

The move has, however, faced resistance from the villagers and traditional leaders who have since approached the government to stop the operations.

The villagers, through the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, are demanding that the provincial offices furnish them with the company’s prospecting licence and the Environmental Impact Assessment certificate, arguing that the mine was established without their consent.

MMCZ, ZCDC fight over diamond deal

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MMCZ, ZCDC fight over diamond deal

Chaos has erupted in a fierce fight over the choice of a partner in the proposed diamond value addition project between State-owned diamond miner, the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC), and Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ). 

Vongai Mbara

According to the deal, which was approved by Cabinet, a venture capital agreement would be signed between the partner and MMCZ, an exclusive agent for marketing and selling of all the minerals mined in Zimbabwe except silver and gold.  

However, ZCDC, which was formed in 2015 after the government consolidated all diamond mining companies in Chiadzwa district in Manicaland, wants to be consulted on the process to engage a partner. 

ZCDC has since written to MMCZ to stop the tender process. 

Sources told a local publication Business Times that the move by ZCDC has since forced MMCZ to halt the process to engage partners, with one of them said to be a diamond buyer with facilities in Milton Park, Harare. 

It is understood that some government officials and ZCDC are not comfortable with the possibility of engaging this diamond buyer who has been subject to various allegations of collusion and rigging of diamond tenders. 

“The two organizations (MMCZ and ZCDC) were mandated by the Cabinet to venture into diamond value addition collaboratively. They were supposed to consult in the event of any need to engage a partner in diamond value addition. But MMCZ had already moved with the process without consulting ZCDC who are the miners of the diamonds,” one source said. 

All efforts to get a comment from ZCDC chief executive officer, Mark Mabhudhu, were futile. 

Contacted for a comment MMCZ general manager, Tongai Muzenda said: “We are moving ahead with the project and there has been serious interest from prospective investors towards the project.” 

According to a Government Gazette General Notice 320 of 2021, MMCZ is looking at providing venture capital to an identified partner for diamond processing in line with the corporation’s “strategic initiatives towards increased value addition and foreign currency generation”. 

The latest friction comes after concerns were raised in March this year that a diamond syndicate composed of ZCDC evaluators and MMCZ was accused of possible price collusion with buyers. 

There were officials who have been leaking diamond prices to prospective diamond buyers which eliminated all competition in diamond buying as there are growing concerns that only one diamond buyer of Lebanese origin has been buying the bulk of the diamonds. 

As of 2018, the government has introduced online diamond sales in a bid to promote transparency and the ease of doing business. 

According to Mines and Mining Minister Winston Chitando, the implementation of the Zimbabwe Electronic Diamond Trading System was supposed to augur well for future diamond sales and supported the ease of doing business mantra. 

The system was also meant to ensure that the sale of diamonds through the MMCZ was in line with global best practices. 

But despite the auction system, this publication is reliably informed that there has been collusion as one buyer has managed to enjoy the monopoly of buying all the parcels. 

Controversy has followed the diamond trading industry in Zimbabwe like a shadow. 

In 2019, a Lebanese diamond dealer Hussein Robai was deported from Zimbabwe over illegal diamond dealing working in cahoots with former ZCDC executives. 

The deportation of Robai came after there were consented efforts by some officials at the Foreign Affairs ministry and ZCDC to protect the Lebanese who was only deported eventually through the intervention of state security services. 

The Department of Immigration deported Robai over his previous illegal diamond dealing convictions in India allegations and has been allegedly behind a spate of illegal diamond smuggling in the country. 

In September 2008, Hussein and Yusuf Ossely were arrested in India with rough diamonds worth an estimated value of US$900 000. They were later sentenced to four years in prison for trading in conflict diamonds. The duo was allowed to operate in Zimbabwe despite the conviction.

China to stop funding coal projects abroad

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China to stop funding coal projects abroad

President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping yesterday pledged to end all coal-fired power projects abroad.

Shantel Tyne Chisango

The Republic of China has been investing in coal-fired power projects in Zimbabwe, the Lusulu 1 Binga Cola plant, and also including the Sengwa Coal plant which was recently stopped due to the Bank of China which had withdrawn its financial support.

In pursuit towards carbon dioxide emission before 2030, while achieving carbon neutrality before 2060, China hence proposed to stop all coal-fired projects investments outside China.

On the same note, China promised to continue supporting developing countries developing green and low-carbon energy.

Xi Jinping further stated the importance of achieving economic development globally and ensuring that global development is made a priority.

“We need to put development high on the global macro policy agenda, strengthen policy coordination among major economies, and ensure policy continuity, consistency and sustainability,” said Jinping.

Currently looking at Zimbabwe, it is quite clear that the country relies heavily on coal for the production of electricity, so the move by China to stop all fundings abroad will cripple the sector considering that China is one of the biggest investors in the country.

Zimbabwe’s coal industry has existed for a century, and the country possesses 10.6 billion to 26 billion tons in reserve which is enough to last another 100 years.

In addition to the facility scheduled for Gokwe, Zimbabwe has four coal-fired power plants — in Harare, Munyati, Bulawayo and Hwange towns.

South Mining, HLB build a US$100 000 library

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South Mining, HLB build a US$100 000 library

HWANGE Local Board (HLB) has partnered with South Mining (Pvt) Limited to construct a state-of-the-art public library at an estimated cost of US$100 000 with the aim of improving education standards in the district. This was revealed in the council’s latest report.

Hwange chairperson Nqobile Ocean Mabhena said the construction of the public library was part of the local authority’s strategy to create synergies with private players for the development of the district.

He said they entered into a public-private partnership arrangement with South Mining for the construction of the library.

Mabhena, however, said owing to the prevailing economic challenges the council was financially constrained to carry out some of the projects.

“We have to resort to alternative models of funding to embark on some of the projects and one such way is venturing into partnerships with private players,” he said.

The library, he said, was expected to be technologically a modern facility.

“The library won’t be your traditional type of building filled with stacks of books and resources. Apart from offering a wide range of books, it will consist of electronic resources such as computers and Wi-Fi, encouraging users to do more in terms of research. Over and above that, we expect it to be a relational library where people meet and interact,” he said.

Mabhena said the library would play a pivotal role in improving the pass rate in Hwange district.

“Hwange district has always had the highest pass rate in the province but there is a need to improve nationally and I believe this library can play a part in that,” he said.

South Mining representative Charles Muchabaiwa said the construction of the public library in Empumalanga high-density suburb was expected to be complete before the end of the year.

He said the move was part of the coke processing company’s social corporate responsibility.

“We are looking at investing about US$100 000 towards the construction of an upmarket library including purchasing of related ancillary equipment to be used there such as computers and furniture,” he said.

“Construction of the library is one of the many ways of ploughing back to the community from which we operate. This library won’t be your traditional form of a library but it will be highly technological.”

The company has already cleared and fenced off the area designated for the construction of the library.

Newsday

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