Leslie Karumbidza
Mutare Council has vowed to engage relevant stakeholders on the recently established Chinese quarry mining at the deforested Dangamvura Mountain.
Residents demanded council to relocate the Chinese miner to a new site far away from residential areas and water distribution pipes.
Mutare City Council Mayor Blessing Tandi during full council meeting attended by residents’ associations and human rights groups said there was need for the engagement with the stakeholders over the Dangamvura mountain mining issue.
“We must engage all stakeholders so that they will have an appreciation on the development being spearhead by council,” said Tandi.
The local authority last week came under fire from the residents and youths after it emerged that the city fathers had leased its 6,5-hectare stand situated on Dangamvura mountain to a Chinese Company called Freestone Mines on a 10-year lease agreement.
Freestone Mines will pay a paltry of US$ 7 557 annual fee to council for its quarry stone mining operations.
Mutare residents were disgruntled by the Chinese mining company which started quarry mining operations without going through an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Proud Nyakuni a legal officer with ZiDAWU said even if they get the EIA, the damage will have far reaching effects than the benefits saying the annual fee was too little compared to the damage.
“The EIA is not the answer to the problem, we have seen this before companies have a legacy of not complying with their EIAs as we have seen in areas such as Chiadzwa, Penhalonga and Chimanimani.,”
“The multi-million-dollar question is whether the investment is worth the degradation which the community is going to witness such as air pollution and all other risks to human and climate justice. The annual fee which is going to be coffined to the local authority is a total absurd and the deal is not worth the environmental degradation,” said Nyakuni.
The mining deal has also forced the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development who will visit the Dangamvura Mountain and Redwing Mine to investigate environmental issues on the two sites.
The Chinese mining company has since removed its mining equipment from the deforested Dangamvura Mountain after residents and various civil society groups piled pressure against the company operations near residential areas and water distribution pipes.
