By Donald Nyarota.
MUTARE, Zimbabwe. (News Of The South) – Disgruntled villagers from Chiadzwa are threatening to demonstrate against government if it rushes to consolidate diamond firms before they settle outstanding issue.
The villagers, largely disadvantaged by diamond mining activities, are calling for miners to respect their promises.
These sentiments were raised during a consultative meeting on the merger conducted by the Zimbabwe Environmental Lawyers Association (Zela) under the theme Implication of the Consolidation of Diamond Mining Companies.
The villagers are of the view that the merger is a strategic and calculated ploy to circumvent outstanding obligations the miners owe affected communities.
“Let’s agree to pitch our tents at the responsible authorities premises until they give us a clear picture of what would become of the outstanding promises we were made to believe.
“We need to demonstration to send a clear message to government that we are against diamond merging before the fulfilment of outstanding issues. A demonstration will be effective to get our voices heard. We have been trying to engage government and the miners for the past five years but nothing has materialised. So we need to organise ourselves and demonstrate,” said Melania Mponda of Chiadzwa Community Development Trust (CCDT).
Mponda received support from other disgruntled villagers affected by diamond mining operations in Chimanimani, Chipinge, Buhera, Marange and Arda Transau.
Part of outstanding issues includes the non remission of into community share ownership schemes.
The six diamond firms are yet to disburse $50 million they jointly pledged into the Marange-Zimunya Community Share Ownership Trust as dictated by the Indegenisation Act.
On the other villagers resettled in Arda Transau are yet to receive compensation whilst companies have not yet erected irrigation schemes as well as construct a clinic, primary and secondary school in their respective demarcated areas.
Villagers in Buhera South and Hotsprings are also battling chronic illnesses facing their livestock emanating from the pollution of Save and Odzi rivers by harmful substances discharged by the miners.
Thousands of cattle have been reported dead while women have been battling genital rashes feared to cause cervical cancer.
However, while these myriad challenges remain unresolved, government has already stepped a gear up to merge the six Marange firms, DTZ-OZGEO and Rio Tinto into the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Corporation (ZCDC).
Given that the merger materialises, legal experts indicated that the villagers would not have legal ground to press the new company to own up to the obligations of dissolved companies.
“If government merges the diamond firms by May as they have indicated, this will be a huge blow for the communities affected by diamond mining. They cannot legally coerce the new firm to fulfil issues that were instigated by the former diamond firms. In shot the case would be as good as closed and I believe government is aware of this,” said Zela head of research Shamiso Mtisi.
Africa University lecturer and mining researcher Dr Solomon Mungure shared the same sentiments.
“I strongly believe that the diamond merger is a smokescreen government is using. It has nothing to do with the so called transparency and accountability that they are talking of.
“If they are genuine about it, let them publicise the investors in Marange because up to now they are unknown yet they talk of transparency, not to mention the issue of undisclosed audits.
“Government is just using this merger to do away with the obligations it has failed to owner to the disadvantaged Chiadzwa communities that were grossly affected by diamond mining in Marange,” said Dr Mungure.
It is against this backdrop that the villagers opted to use a confrontational approach to voice their concerns.
Tichaenzana Chibuwe of Save-Odzi Community Development Trust treasurer said a demonstration is the only way to coerce government to honour their plight.
“Government should stop the merger before we know what would become of our cattle that died from drinking contaminated water discharged by the miners and the community share ownership trust among other outstanding issues. Who will we approach when the companies that are committing these atrocities are no longer there?” questioned Chibuwe.
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