In the mineral-rich district of Mutoko (northern Zimbabwe), local communities are facing serious rights violations connected to mining projects, and in particular black granite mining. In the past three years, four children drowned and died after falling in the open pits that were left uncovered, because companies are failing to restore the land after extraction. Other violations include forced evictions, environmental degradation, and loss of arable lack. Mining companies are also failing to meaningfully consult communities, to ensure their right to access to information, and to adequately compensate them.
In 2023, with the support of the Community Resource Exchange, the Mutoko-based organization Disaster and Environmental Management Trust (DEMT) organized a series of capacity-building sessions. DEMT 60 community environmental impact assessment (EIA) experts cascaded the EIA training to a total of 600 people in mining communities. There is now a well-empowered network of environmental defenders, who are actively documenting violations and bringing these cases before government officials and agencies such as the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for redress. As a result of this powerful work, EMA officers required the mining companies to close the pits, and the mines complied within 5 weeks. Moreover, EMA officers are now conducting random inspections to ensure that mining companies are complying with environmental laws. The mining companies are also starting to comply with their social responsibility requirements, and started building some health facilities in the territories affected by the mines.
Below, read a report submitted by DEMT with further info.
Zimbabwe is a mineral-rich country, and the government has set an ambitious goal of developing a 12-billion-dollar mining industry by 2030. While this may appear to be for the benefit of revenue and employment opportunities, opening up new areas for mining means evictions, loss of arable land, land and water degradation, destruction of cultural sites and grave sites, and property damage for rural communities. In light of this, we received support from the Community Resource Exchange (CRE) to strengthen the ability of communities in the mineral-rich Mutoko district of Zimbabwe to defend their environmental and land rights in the context of mining. Mutoko rural district produces over 75% of black granite in Zimbabwe and it is home to over 145,000 inhabitants.
Sixty (60) Community Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Experts, including community leaders, have been trained in black granite mining communities of Mutoko district with support from CRE. These people are leading grassroots efforts to defend environmental rights and creating a well empowered network of more environmental rights defenders by educating their fellow community members about environmental rights, encouraging public participation in EIA processes, and leading community efforts in challenging injustices by mining companies and demanding accountability. They are also helping communities to dialogue constructively with mining companies so that mining companies can respond to identified community coporate social responsibility needs.
Prior to the CRE-funded activities, communities in Mutoko rural district of Zimbabwe had a poor understanding of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, which is carried out when mining companies come to mine black granite in Mutoko. Due to this lack of understanding of the EIA, public participation in EIA public consultation meetings was low. Mining companies exploited this poor community involvement in the production of an EIA document to undervalue community environmental assets, and some mining companies even operated without EIAs entirely, this opened up room for mining companies to massively violate community environmental rights without any form of accountability and in the face of weak law enforcement. The environmental rights violations included but are not limited to (i) massive environmental degradation which left open pits wherein 4 children drowned and died between 2020 to 2024 (ii) unregualted dumping of rock offcuts into people’s fields leading to loss of arable land (iii) arbitrary evictions to pave way for mining, and (iv) mining companies were not responding to community corporate social responsibility needs.Additionally, communities were denied access to a copy of the EIA document after it was completed; obtaining a copy from the government’s Environmental Management Agency cost $220 USD, which rural communities can not afford (this is an indirect denial of their right to public information). Second, communities reported that mining companies hire highly educated business consultants to negotiate individual agreements such as evictions and compensation for loss of arable land due to mining. These business consultants speak in formal legal English that communities with low levels of education are unable to understand, resulting in communities being dupped to sign agreements that they don’t fully understand and are largely not in their favour.
With CRE support, our 60 Community EIA Experts have identified and cascaded EIA training to 600 more community members in mining communities, resulting in a network of 660 community environmental rights defenders actively documenting cases of environmental rights violations and bringing them before elected officials and law enforcement agencies such as the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for redress. Communities alerted authorities to two open pits left by black granite mining companies, where 5 cattle and a child drowned and died. Following this active evidence-based advocacy by affected communities, the government’s EMA officers issued an order requiring mining companies to close the pits, and the mines complied within 5 weeks. Furthermore, EMA officers are now conducting random inspections to ensure that mining companies are complying with environmental laws and EIAs. The EMA now inspects uncontrolled industrial solid waste disposal (black granite offcuts), as well as the discharge of hazardous substances, chemicals, oils, or any mixture containing oil into rivers and people’s fields.
Communities in Mutoko were able to voice their concerns about mining companies’ lack of response to community corporate social responsibility needs, as a consequence of public dialogues between mining companies and communities that were made possible by the CRE grant. In response, mining companies are helping the community in administrative ward 2 of Mutoko district by funding the expansion of Chindenga Rural Health Centre (clinic), and constructing a maternity ward and a mother’s waiting home for rural pregnant women.