By Brighton Chiseva
RENCO – Motorists and scores of villagers along the Muchibwa-Renco Mine access road
endure a daily ordeal as blasting operations send clouds of dust into the air and force vehicles to
a standstill, with no alternative route available, no matter how urgent the journey.
The blasting, which occurs regularly, has become a source of growing frustration for both
motorists and the surrounding community, who say they are left with no choice but to wait until
the blasting is completed before they can proceed.
Local councillor Tarusenga Mapamba, who hails from one of the affected villages, Muvango
Village, confirmed the development to TellZim News, saying the blasting used to take place
three times a week but it now seems to be an everyday occurrence.
“The mine is blasting at Chebundi Mountain near the road and during blasting, they close the
road and no vehicle can pass through until the blasting is over,” said Mapamba.
Mapamba said there were clouds of dust that rise during blasting, covering some households in
Chiponda and Ruchicha Villages, which are close to the blasting zone, including Machaya,
Mbiri, and Chipango, Chiponda family households, among others.
“During blasting, households close to the site are covered in dust, and locals are forced to move
out of their homes and go away from the blast zone until it clears, and that’s when they can
return. Mine security officers will be there to make sure that the homes are empty during
blasting,” said Mapamba.
Contacted for comment, Rio Zim head of corporate affairs Dr Wilson Gwatiringa could neither
confirm nor deny the situation, saying he needed to establish what was going on the ground first.
“That issue has not reached my office; I have to get information from the ground before I can
respond,” said Gwatiringa.
The road links the Mine to Muchibwa Business Centre, the Hospital, the school and the mini
airstrip, and it passes through to Morgenster Mission, Nemamwa and Masvingo Town, meaning
that even emergency vehicles and passengers with urgent commitments are held up.
Residents have also raised concerns about the health and environmental impact of the dust and
noise generated by the blasting, particularly for those living in proximity to the mine.
‘The dust is not just the normal dust that we know, I think because it is mixed with chemicals, it
rises and moves as a cloud and takes time to disperse,” said one villager.
Villagers said the situation has become a daily reality for those who rely on the road, with some
calling on the mining company and relevant authorities to find a lasting solution that balances
mining operations with the community’s needs and rights.
Muchibwa Village head Edmore Muchibwa told TellZim News that the situation was bad and
that several villagers were being evacuated from their homes during blasting, which was
inconvenient for the people.
He said they had engaged the mine and were told that the villagers were not in the blast zone and
would not be affected, only to learn that they were now being told to vacate their homes during
blasting.
“People in several households are being evacuated from their homes each time the blasting is
about to start. Households including Kugwizi, Mbiri, Chipango, Machaya among others are the
most affected and each time they have to abandon their homes,” said Muchibwa.
He went on to say they appeal to the mine to relocate people to the growth point and allow them
to use their land for farming only while they stay at the growth point, which is out of the blast
zone but close to their fields.
Motorists told TellZim News that though the blasting time was short, it came with a lot of
inconveniences.
Sources within the mine said there were plans to establish another road that passes through
Muvango and Chiponda villages, cycling Chebundi Mountain, then back to Ruchicha and join
the main road at Muchibwa Business Centre.
“The mine promised to establish a new road that passes through Chiponda and Muvango
Villages. However, Muvango Villagers resisted the move at some point, and we are yet to see
what the mine is planning,” said the source.
Muvango Village head Godknows Muvango said they resisted the random creation of a new road
passing through their village unless the mine tables a way to compensate those who will be
affected by the road.
“They wanted to create an alternative road passing through Muvango without proper
consultations with us. We told them that they cannot just establish a road in our village without
compensating those who will lose fields and homesteads,” said Muvango.
Another source said there were plans by the mine to displace several households in Muvango and
Chiponda Villages, with Chiponda Village being affected the most.
“Around 55 households are going to be displaced from Muvango Village and several from
Chiponda, though the number is yet to be established. The mine wants to continue with surface
mining and does not want to continue carrying the ore to the mine but start working on it at the
source, so they intend to create trenches that pass through the villages,” said the source.
However, the village head said the displacements and relocations were just rumours and said if
the mine intended to take that route, then they would wait until they make it official so that they
can table their conditions.
Earlier this year, the mine had some excavations on the other side of the road but was stopped
after locals claimed that they had dug graves.
