Manhize villagers living in fear of looming evictions

Date:

MIDWEEK REPORTER

MVUMA-Villagers in Manhize particularly those in Nyikavanhu are living in fear of the inevitable evictions that could be violent as the Dinson Iron and Steel Company begins full production.

Despite the hype over the giant US1.5billion iron and steel project villagers are not impressed as precedent has shown that no tangible benefits are accrued from such projects and the Marange community in Manicaland and Bikita in Masvingo are good examples.

DISCO is touted to become the biggest iron and steel company in Africa but for the ordinary villagers it remains a pie in the sky.

Dinson is a Chinese owned and one of the biggest steel production companies in the world which was granted the right to mine iron in Manhize which have deposits estimated to last for the next 100 years.

Work at the Manhize area began in 2018 and full production is expected to begin anytime from now and villagers have to pave way for the company to build production plants and other facilities.

Instead of joy and fulfillment of the promises made by Government four years ago, the villagers said they are not sure what the future holds now that the Chinese mining company, Dinson has started fencing their homes.

The villagers said the most worrying factor is that, the Chinese miner is reluctant even to shed light on their future.

“We wonder where we will go because they have already started fencing our homes in their complex. Our ancestor’s graves have been fenced inside too, we wonder where they will relocate them,” said  a villager who prayed for anonymity.

Village head, Chokutaura Chananda (80) told The Midweek Watch that the disadvantages of the Chinese miners coming into their area outweighed their benefits.

As he spoke about the impending evictions, the old man’s voice faltered, overcome by fear, despair and uncertainty.

“At this age, do you think if I am relocated from here, I will be able to build another home like this one?

“Wherever I go, I may build another house, but certainly not another home. This is the only home I have known for almost decades and there will never be a place like this one,” he said wiping his teary, blood-flecked eyes, fighting hard to hide his helplessness.

Dozens of the villagers in the Manhize area have already lost their fields to the multi-billion dollar project and they decry lack of consultation from the responsible authorities.

Centre for Research and Development director, James Mupfumi said the Government put the cart before the horse as it rushed through some of the new mining policies to please foreign investors.

Mpfumi bemoaned the pace at which communities in new mining areas are losing their ancestral land and human dignity to companies that seem to have Government protection going by their behaviour.

“The unbundling of the mining sector by Government without expediting devolution and mining legislation has increased vulnerability of communities living in resource rich areas to adverse impacts including forced displacements.

“The rate at which communities are losing land and livelihoods to aggressive mining projects is alarming and unsustainable. We are disappointed that Government is not effectively playing its role to balance business and human rights in the mining sector as obligated by the Constitution,” said Mupfumi of the

With the 2023-2024 farming season fast approaching, the villagers who are mostly subsistence farmers, have cast doubts on its benefits to them.

Some have stopped preparing their small remaining fields because they have been told the remaining land was part of the 12 000 hectares which now belongs to the mining company.

Queen Dhliwayo(30), said she was not amused by any of the developmental projects, which the Chinese miners said they will implement in their area.

Her greatest fear was to be evicted.

“We have heard of several opportunities earmarked for our locality from the mining project.

“They said they will construct roads, dams and that the project will result in the creation of employment among other several opportunities.

“No matter how ideal the projects could be, if we are to be evicted, then it is not development to us,” she said.

While reports claim that Dinson had employed over 800 people by February this year, findings by this reporter revealed that the local people have hardly benefited from the preliminary stages of the project, with only 18–30-year-olds having been employed, casting doubt over the many promises made so far.

The workers who spoke to this reporter said they lack job security, complaining of low wages and poor working conditions, being threatened with dismissal while some are summarily fired.

Local workers complain that they are subjected to inferior working conditions compared to their Chinese counterparts.

For instance, the company is building staff quarters at its crushing site, with six workers expected to share a unit. But Chinese employees enjoy more spacious and affluent housing units.

Extraction of iron ore in the Manhize mountainous region has led to environmental degradation, with large unsighty open pits mushrooming in the area.

The Manhize Mountain was also a source of food and fruits for the villagers since time immemorial.

It also served as a recreational facility with some of its scenic spots. 

Efforts to get a comment from the Manhize Steel project director, Wilfred Motsi were fruitless as his mobile number was not available

According to the 2014 United Nations Special Rapporteur report on Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development-based Evictions and Displacement, the State should permit evictions only on special circumstances, but it should regulate the welfare of the evicted members. 

The United Nations went on to say the marginalised and poor communities were often targets of evictions due to their perceived little resistance and the vulnerable groups of society, which include women and children, were most affected.

“Forced evictions constitute gross violations of human rights,” the report reads.

“They violate directly and indirectly the full spectrum of civil cultural, economic, political and social rights enshrined in international instruments.

“These violations can be directly or indirectly attributed to the way evictions are decided, for instance, no consultation, no information or no recourse mechanisms.

“Forced evictions are generally discriminatory or lead to discrimination.

“In many instances, the victims of forced evictions are those belonging to specific groups of the population: the poorest, communities facing discrimination, the marginalised and those who do not have the clout to change the decisions and designs of the project leading to their displacement,” reads part of the report.

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