via RadioVop Zimbabwe – The Curse Of Chiadzwa: Villagers Lose Cattle In Zim Diamond Fields 19/11/2013 by Tafirenyika Nemadire
Diamond mining companies here are under fire from traditional leaders who are demanding compensation for the death of close to a herd of 300 cattle owing to chemicals which are used to purify gems.
The companies which are being accused of harming the environment include Anjin, Mbada and Marange Resources which were recently granted mining permits by the government to mine diamonds in the area.
“We reported the cases of the deaths of our domestic animals to the local authorities after the concerned diamond mining companies had turned deaf ears to our complaints. The number of cows which our people have lost is increasing everyday. We strongly suspect that the companies are disposing toxic chemicals in Odzi River. We say so because before these companies started operating here we did not experience this. The 300 cattle we are talking of, is of this year only,”headman Nemaramba told Radio VOP in Nyanyadzi at the weekend.
Another traditional leader, headman Chiduwe said he approached Marange Resources over the issue.
“Anjin has one mistake. When we approached them they reacted by constructing dams which they are now using, but their problem is that they did not fence them and as a result our cattle are being trapped by the mud and die .I personally approached Marange Resources and they refuted the allegations that they were killing our domestic animals through the chemicals they use for diamond mining. We have records of what we are telling you,” said headman Chiduwe.
“We are having a double tragedy here. They are killing our domestic animals at the same time they are unlawfully terminating employment contracts for our children,” said another disgruntled villager.
Anjin’s public relations manager only identified as Mukango refused to comment on the issue.
Last year, five villagers and an environmental watchdog group sued three diamond firms, Anjin Investments, Marange Resources and Diamond Mining Company, which are all extracting diamonds from the Chiadzwa diamond fields for recklessly discharging untreated mine waste material and effluent into three rivers during their mining and exploration operations in Manicaland province. The villagers, Zakeu Nhachi, Rosemary Jena, Elias Matsveruka, Mayimboti Mayimboti, Isaac Ziwenjere from Buhera and Chimanimani constituencies charged that the release of untreated mineral waste and raw human waste had left Odzi, Singwizi and Save rivers silted, muddied, dirty and loaded with chemical and metal deposits including iron, chromium and nickel. As a result of the pollution, the water in the rivers is no longer fit for bathing, drinking, gardening and watering livestock, according to the villagers, who claim to depend and have traditionally depended on the rivers for their subsistence including using the river water for drinking, bathing, watering livestock, gardening and fishing for many years before the mining firms commenced operations in the river catchments. The villagers claimed that the pollution of the rivers had destroyed aquatic life like fish and disturbed the ecosystem in the rivers while the waste discharge is exposing them to risks of contracting diseases such as cancer, cholera, typhoid fever, dental and skeletal fluorosis.
COMMENTS
No doubt about it, China is an enemy of the povo. They must be driven out of our ancestral land before they destroy our eco-systems in their greed to steal our diamonds. The diamonds belong to the indigenous people who originate from the soils of Chiadzwa and Marange. They do not belong to the Chinese Military, Zimbabwe military or Zanu-pf. The diamonds belong to the people of these lands, not the greedy invaders!!
This my friends is no laughing matter. If our political leaders have any interest in the survival of this country then clearly there is need to take action and make sure that pollution of our aquatic systems stops now. If so many cattle have died in such a short time it even means that humans are dying slowly. EMA is definately sleeping on the job or somebody big is preventing them from acting.Mining companies should legally operate after carrying out an Environmental Impact assessment where all mitigation measures are outlined. EMA as the agency statutorily mandated with carrying out audits and monitoring compliance should surely have been the first to lodge such a complaint. Is it that the EMA people were bribed of silenced not to act when diamond companies release such toxic effluent into our river systems. Somebody should go to jail for this whether they are chinese or not.
where is the so called minister kasukuwere?????