Calvin Manika
MINES Minister Winston Chitando is expected to visit Dinde, Hwange this Thursday as the battle over a communal land takes new twist.
The Dinde community is resisting disruption of its customary way of life by a Chinese company, Beifer Investments which claims to have been given a Special Grant to start a coal mining project in the area.
The minister’s anticipated visit follows an aborted meeting which initially had been scheduled for February 13.
The meeting had to be postponed after villagers turned up in numbers, a figure which was way more than the required 30 as per Covid-19 regulations.
The community says it was not against the development but the mining company should at least be allocated land a bit distant from their vicinity.
The community is expressing doubt if their area has the best coal to attract the investors who will disrupt their way of life on their ancestral land.
Speaking to The Zambezi Times one of the villagers Ernest Tshuma, said as a village they are eagerly waiting for the minister.
“We want to see the minister and get the position of the government on this issue. I believe the government must protect its people and their tradition and culture,” he said.
The locals have since the arrival of the Chinese company with its equipment early this month fought tirelessly to block the mining activities.
The locals have in large numbers teamed up and resisted the project to commence.
The development has also attracted the interest of the Centre for Natural Resources Governance (CNRG), a civil society advocacy group and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) who are now pursuing legal action to stop the eviction of the villagers.
The proposed coal mining project comes a few months after the government was forced to reverse a decision to let Chinese firms explore for coal at the Hwange national park following protests from environmentalists.
