Rutendo Chirume
PPENHALONGA-Sixteen families in Penhalonga are facing imminent displacement after authorities allegedly converted a long-established residential area into a mining zone.
The move has intensified a long-running land dispute and triggered concerns over property rights, environmental justice and community livelihoods.
According to the Centre for Research and Development (CRD), the affected area is the Penhalonga Low Residential Area (PLRA), also known as Manager’s Hill, where residents have been embroiled in a protracted conflict with a mining company over land ownership and land use.
“About 16 families in the Penhalonga Low Residential Area (PLRA), historically known as Manager’s Hill, are now facing imminent displacement. A long-standing land ownership and land-use conflict between local property owners and a mining entity has escalated rapidly following an administrative decision by the local authority to strip the community of its residential status,” reads part of the CRD report.
The report alleges that the Mutasa Rural District Council (MRDC) and the District Development Coordinator (DDC) succumbed to pressure from higher authorities, exposing hundreds of households to the expansion of toxic gold mining operations.
“In a shocking turn of events, the Mutasa Rural District Council (MRDC) and the District Development Coordinator (DDC) have capitulated to high-level administrative pressure, sacrificing the land rights, properties, and health of over 800 households to toxic gold-mining developments,” the report states.
The report further claims that government valuers from Harare recently visited some of the affected households without prior notice to assess their properties ahead of possible compensation.
“Three weeks ago, government valuers from Harare arrived unannounced at the doorsteps of some of the affected residents to value their properties. One shocked resident interviewed by CRD pointed out that an official from The Mining Portfolio (TMP) harshly warned some affected property owners that resisting the valuation would mean missing out on compensation, because the transition to a mining zone was already a ‘done deal,'” the report says.
CRD says the dispute raises broader questions over administrative accountability, environmental governance and the protection of communities affected by mining developments. The organisation argues that the Penhalonga case highlights the need for transparent land-use decisions and meaningful consultation with residents before relocation or mining expansion takes place.
