Many villagers are against the $500 million Chinese quarry mining project
Source: Zimbabwean Villagers Resist a Chinese Company’s Mining Project – VOA
The villagers are from Domboshava, a rocky area north of Zimbabwe’s capital, and they are disputing a Chinese company’s decision to start quarry mining.
Seventy-year-old Florence Nyamande is among those saying no to the proposed project by Aihua Jianye Company.
“The Chinese are the money mongers of Zimbabweans. They take riches here, they take it to China. They do not develop our places. So we do not need them here,” Nyamande said. “Seriously with a deeper heart, seriously with a mind, we are disappointed. We said ‘No’ and ‘No’. That is multiplicated (multiplied) ‘No.’”
The villagers do not think Aihua Jianye will create the 500 jobs in the area it promised. They also say the quarry mining will leave large ponds filled with dirty water.
Zimbabwe Deputy Minister of Information Energy Mutodi – who is the parliament member for the area – is also against the $500 million quarry mining project.
He says he is not going against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s mantra that “Zimbabwe is open for business.”
“It is open to business, but not to business that is gong to affect our environment. We want to preserve the environment. We want our community to develop, yes. But let our environment remain intact. We cannot have a situation come here take the proceeds, enjoy it in other countries, yet our people remain poor,” Mutodi said.
Mutodi notes the Chinese company has advertised for only 40 jobs in the area, less than one-tenth of what it promised.
Percy Mudzidzwa, whose company GeoGlobal Environmental Solutions is representing the Chinese firm, rejects allegations that 20,000 people would be affected by the 33 hectare mining project.
Some locals say the project will affect a graveyard and a natural spring. Mudzidzwa says that is not so.
“Not even a grave is going to be moved. But there is a misconception. We proposed that that the graves be fenced. There is a spring, which is above the grave site, we proposed that the spring be fenced too,” Mudzidzwa explained.
Now the project waits for the country’s Environmental Management Agency to make a final call if the Chinese company can go ahead.
COMMENTS
William Moyce and his Geoglobal Environmental Consultancy are a serious fraud, pathological liars and one of the most unprofessional treacherous individuals there are. I once consulted with them and was tactically swindled my money for a gold mining survey that left me wih an egg in the face. I pursued them on a professional level to follow up on intentional false results they produced mixed with flattery and sweet words so as to soften me up and part with my money. once i parted with my money and wasted thousands of dollars on thwir fase recommendations and i pursuing them, it was a plethora of excuses after excuses, shameful excuses and deliberate lies with the impression that there is nothing you can do to me because i am connected to high offices. I worked for the money, with much sweat and pain but the man is heartless and a thief. Be careful aboit these guys. They are far from honest and professional as thwy claim to be. he has an office in five avenue in a flat. i think the reason being that the man has run his business down that he ccant afford a descent professional office space with ethics. let the public be warned about these con artists. William Moyce and his subordinate man of African descent.
Shame on what happened. maybe you should pursue your matter through the courts. I have also heard that these geoglobal guys (some semi black coloured guy) have some machine that they say detects the grade and depth of gold. Many have fallen for this trap, especially in kadoma that were swindled their money. Due diligence must be followed before you part with your money.
Please please do not allow the Project. The villagers are right. See their side they live there. No matter what the mining will not bring riches. It is as felt that the Countries rich resources are being taken to the country that exploits Zimbabwe. Is it right that in this day & age countries are being made poorer and the landscape destroyed ?
I think the miner here must also be commended for doing an EIA which is also prescribed by law. We must also remember that the countries mineral resources must be exploited to benefit the community and invester. The mines and minerals act must be followed even in the harshest and toughest of circumstances. If they pegged the land for a mine lawfully, then they must first compensate the community and build them proper houses for relocation and compensate everyone for their plight. Some minerals cannot be locked perpertually and not be exploited because of some human settlement. If the chinese had western standards of investment and a better record of operations in the country like build hospitals and really take care of the community, such events like this would have been avoided. if the chinese had a similar envent like this back home in China, how would they have handled it? Or is it just that the country Zim is in tatters and is desperate that they want to take advantage of it?
i am amazed how much people will listen to social media and never verify facts about the project at hand. consultation of the locals is a process of EIA and if it spread on social media with mis-represented facts….its a challenge…Let the experts give us views if the social media information is true, then we can point fingers. I would like the media to get a expert view on the matter and bring clarity to the people of Domboshava so that they do not panic and mis-direct future EIA consultations in the future…
for the other gentleman who commented on the gold detector. for me it worked and i got a good sample. Piece of advise, gold has spiritual links, hence did you do the consultations with the chief to make sure there was no gold, or it was merely visible gold sample and did u take any samples to the laboratory. exhaust your case and then take him to court for damages with facts….
The guy (moyce) in his capacity as geologist pointing verbally and in writing that gold had been detected with the depth of the belt size of the belt and grade of the belt. they then acted on the strength of his professional advice and made an investment given his advice. they then sunk a shaft to the recommended level with intensive sampling and not even a trace of gold tailing or even the reef or quartz vein was present. they then consulted him to come over and assess as his advice was not materialising. that gave birth to a plethora of shameless excuses and lies after lies from this moyce fellow. they claim he never wanted to return back even just the honesty of admitting that his machine or he failed was never in him. they were left with the impression the man is a skillful and seasoned con man and thief. moyce is now a hated man in kadoma because of his dishonesty. small scale miners believe in the occult and gold spititual links. but you can never mine gold or plan for gold mining basing on spiritual links. you need geologists drilling sampling etc rather than dishonest heartless geologists like moyce. other seasoned geologists upon consultation on ethics about moyce conduct do not subscribe to his practises and criticise it as unprofessional and theft of unsuspecting public