The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa Ray Bande Senior Reporter
AN Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) exercise in Penhalonga’s Tsvingwe village just outside Mutare has heightened speculation that diamonds have been discovered in the area.
Preliminary indications which show that there could be diamond deposits in the area has since left villagers and Zimbabwe Consolidated Mining Company (ZCDC) at loggerheads after a recent emotive meeting was aborted as villagers expressed fear of a cut and paste of the Chiadzwa scenario.
Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs, Cde Mandi Chimene, was however this week quick to dismiss claims that there have been diamond discoveries in Tsvingwe.
“There is nothing like that. It is an Environmental Impact Assessment programme being carried nationwide to determine the extent of mineral deposits in the country. It is a process by which the anticipated effects on the environment of a proposed development or project are measured.
“If the likely effects are unacceptable, design measures or other relevant mitigation measures can be taken to reduce or avoid those effects. Some people failed to understand what is happening on the ground and came up with their own conclusions,” she said.
ZCDC and SIDRC officials recently convened an urgent meeting at Tsvingwe Primary School in Penhalonga to gather views of the villagers on the intended Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) exercise before they proceed to the next stages of prospecting as required at law.
The meeting failed to proceed just after ZCDC officials announced that they ‘suspect’ that there are diamond deposits in the area and irate villagers expressed fear of displacement as well as failure to get adequate compensation.
In an interview this week, Member of the House of Assembly for Mutasa South constituency in which the area falls under, said a meeting has been arranged where the Minister of Mines and Mining Development Cde Walter Chidhakwa together with ZCDC and SIRDC officials are expected to clear the air on the intended mining operations.
“The position from the parent Ministry, which is the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, is that there is suspicion of diamond deposits in the area and as required at law they have to consult the villagers on intended mining operations.
“To this end, a meeting has been arranged at Tsvingwe Primary School on Saturday (tomorrow) where villagers are expected to get full explanation on the intended mining operations. The issue that needs to be clarified is that the diamond deposits have not yet been confirmed at the moment.
“This is the reason the Ministry wants to carry out operations to establish whether the suspicion is really based on fact. No one said there are diamonds already,” said Cde Zindi.
She added that she would not want to see villagers in the area being displaced owing to the intended mining operations.
“As the MP for the area, it is not my wish that people be displaced. Where do we put them? Where do we get the land to place them? After all there are socio-economic aspects connected to their lives in that area. I would advocate for mining operations that do not result in displacement of people,” she said.
In a separate interview, Mutasa Rural District Council chief executive Mr George Bandure said ZCDC were above board in consulting villagers before undertaking any mining operations in the area.
“If anything is discovered in any given area, at law they are required to consult the people living in the given area and that is what ZCDC officials did. That then forms the basis of the Environmental Impact Assessment exercise. In this case we as the local authority were informed of the developments.
“The term used ‘suspect’ warrants further investigations to be done to establish whether there are diamond deposits. It is clear that there are communities that will be affected negatively and positively, if indeed the diamond deposits are there.
There are employment opportunities as well as the investment portfolio of Mutasa Rural District Council increases but it must be remembered that this is an area where there are residential properties, small scale to medium commercial or industrial and social institutions in place. It automatically means that if the diamond deposits are established some people or institutions will be moved.
“Our hope is that a balance will be struck between the interests of the mining company and the interests of the people. We are aware that the issue of displacement is a hot potato but both parties have to meet halfway for the sake of development,” said Mr Bandure.
Repeated efforts to get a comment from ZCDC were fruitless at the time of going to print as the company’s Public Relations Executive Mr Brian Mangwende requested questions in writing a week ago but until Wednesday afternoon no response was issued.
