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| Sese community, Chivi. |
….diamond
company accused of dividing community through bribes
Brighton Chiseva
CHIVI – The Sese
community, represented by Sese Community Trust, has given Murowa Diamonds a 22-day
ultimatum to vacate Danhamombe School premises in Zhara village from where the
mining company is conducting prospective work.
The trust, which
claims that it tried in vain to engage the company for a dialogue, is now calling
for that the company must immediately leave and find another space which does
not disturb learning.
The company has
been in the area since 2018 ostensibly doing prospective work and has set base
at the school on a 24 000 hectare piece of land.
Many villagers
believe the company was done with all prospective work and is clandestinely
mining diamonds without declaring it.
In a letter dated
November 13 which was given to Murowa Diamonds, signed by the School Development
Committee (SDC) chairperson Junius Gurajena, the community demands that the
company must stop using school resources like water and electricity and should
leave the premises.
“I am writing to
inform Murowa Diamond Mining company that on 13 November 2020, Danhamombe SDC
held a meeting and resolved that Murowa Diamond Mine remove its camp together
with all its assets from school premises,” reads part of the paper
Trust members
who spoke to TellZim News said they had found a donor who was willing to help
the school develop its agriculture but all the space had been occupied by the
mining company.
Village head Kizito
Zhara said the mining authorities did not engage him and his people and was
dividing members of the community by bribing some of them using maheu,
fertiliser and maize seed.
The trust secretary
Musiiwa Musiiwa said they were no longer interested in talking but they should
leave the school and find another place to settle.
“We are past the
time we wanted dialogue, now we want them to leave and find another place even
at the shops, if we are to talk we will then talk from there not within our school,”
said Musiiwa.
Sese Community
Trust committee member Juliet Shumba said authorities should facilitate
dialogue between the school and the community.
“Elsewhere, we
have seen people being displaced when there are mining activities like these.
We, therefore, fear for our future and we do not feel that we are stable enough
to develop our homes. Mining authorities should tell us how all this will end,”
said Shumba
Chivi Rural
District Ward 20 Councillor Alec Nhundu said he was on the side of the people
and he supported whatever they wanted.
“I represent
people and whatever they say is what I want. They are calling for the company
to move out of the school premises and that is what I want also. I have talked
to council and they said they did not know that Murowa was still in the area,”
said Nhundu.
Another part of
the letter said the school should start clearing part of the piece of land
occupied by the company for agriculture.
Other residents
claimed that the mine used to leave contaminated water points bare and a number
of livestock had died after drinking the water.
School pupils
who spoke to TellZim News complained about noise but also said they were
getting water and electricity from the mine.
“There is a lot
of noise from the mine and it disturbs us a lot, but we also get water and
electricity when ours is down,” said the pupil.
