9.1.3 The Committee noted the concerns of the locals in their pursuit for redress of their grievances, that they anticipate will affect the community for generations to come. The Committee further noted the fear, rage, and pessimism of the Marange-Zimunya community around the perceived plundering of the diamonds themselves and the ensuing manipulation around the M-Z CSOT. The residents are bitter that despite being one of the most lucrative diamond fields in the world, five years after diamond mining began, their area has remained poor and underdeveloped and revenues from mineral resources have failed to lift poor people out of the shackles of poverty. The communities are crippled by degraded environments, disease, perceived and justifiably so corruption in the handling of CSOT funds, general poor service delivery and dilapidated infrastructure such as poor roads network, under-rehabilitated bridges, under-equipped clinics with inadequate drug stock, and general food insecurity for the communities due to relocations from their plots, drought and general poverty. On account of non-payment of the USD 1.5 million that was displayed during the launch of the M-Z CSOT, local residents’ hopes of benefiting from their local resources have been dashed, and led to speculation that Hon. Minister S. Kasukuwere and the diamond mining companies misled the President, His Excellency, Cde. RG Mugabe and the nation at large. This has severely impacted negatively on the respect accorded to the President and the Chiefs in the area as reflected by the statements made by the Villagers. I want to take this opportunity to play to the House an audio on what the people of Marange-Zimunya are saying about the President and Zimbabweans.
Audio played to the House.
HON. WADYAJENA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I can see you are now smiling.
9.2 Relocation of Chiadzwa Villagers
9.2.1 The Committee found that land at Arda – Transau is not sufficient to cater for the relocation of 31 villages with 4 321 households, yet there were no clear visible progress on the ground on the part of the Provincial Administrator's Office with regards to finding alternatively located land, except statements pronouncement that to finding alternative land was being searched outside Mutare district.
9.2.2 Five companies have not met their villagers’ relocation targets: Rera Diamond Company, which was supposed to relocate 92 households have not yet begun the exercise. Jinan Investments was supposed to relocate 350 households, has only constructed 110 houses and relocated only 31 households. Marange Resources was supposed to relocate 350, has only built 184 houses and relocated 116 households. Diamond Mining Company was supposed to relocate 114 households, has only built 30 houses and relocated 30 households. Mbada Diamonds was supposed to relocate 487 households, has constructed 100 houses and relocated 100 households. Only Anjin Investments met its target of relocating 474 households and constructed world class water works, clinic and schools for the community in addition to tarring roads. In Transau Estate, houses that have been built but not occupied and others that have not been completed are exposed to theft and vandalism.
9.2.7 The handling of exhumation and reburials of the dead of the displaced villagers remains a bone of contention between Marange-Zimunya communities and diamond mining companies. While the Provincial Administrator's Office acknowledged that, nothing has been done to address this challenge.
Continued next page
(629 VIEWS)
Pingback: Kasukuwere Marange case almost causes pandemonium in Parliament | The Insider