Patrick Chitumba [email protected]
MIDLANDS communities affected by development-induced displacement are benefiting from dialogue and negotiated settlements as the Government and the Centre for Conflict Management and Transformation (CCMT) intensify efforts to resolve disputes over land, compensation and livelihoods arising from mining, infrastructure projects and urban expansion.
CCMT programmes manager Ms Rumbidzai Magurupira said the organisation was working with local authorities, affected communities and other stakeholders to resolve disputes and ensure that development projects did not leave families struggling to rebuild their lives without adequate support.
She was speaking at the Midlands Provincial Development-Induced Displacement (DID) exchange and end-of-project evaluation workshop held in Gweru yesterday.
The workshop brought together provincial and district representatives from Government, rural district councils and communities in Gokwe South, Mberengwa, Gweru and Zvimba districts.
“We are working with local authorities, affected communities and other stakeholders to facilitate dialogue, negotiate lasting solutions and ensure that development projects take the welfare and rights of affected people into account,” she said.
Ms Magurupira said mining, agriculture, infrastructure development and urban expansion were among the major drivers of development-induced displacement, often resulting in loss of land, inadequate compensation and uncertainty for affected families.
She said displacement was not limited to people being physically removed from their homes, as some communities remained in their areas but lost access to land, natural resources and economic activities that sustained their livelihoods.
CCMT distinguishes between physical displacement, which forces people to leave their homes, and economic displacement, which disrupts livelihoods even when residents remain in their communities.
“Development projects come with challenges, including the displacement of communities, loss of livelihoods and environmental degradation. One of the major concerns is whether affected people receive adequate compensation,” Ms Magurupira said.
She said the consequences extended beyond the loss of homes and property, with families also facing economic hardship, psychological distress and the disruption of social support networks.
In some cases, development projects affected ancestral graves, sacred grounds and other sites of cultural significance, weakening communities’ connections to their heritage.
“People can lose their sources of income, access to arable land and natural resources. In some cases, mining activities leave open quarries, while development can also affect ancestral graves, sacred places and other sites of cultural importance,” she said.
Ms Magurupira said uncertainty surrounding relocation, compensation and future livelihoods often left families anxious, while the separation of relatives, friends and neighbours weakened traditional support systems.
To address these challenges, CCMT has facilitated dialogue and negotiations between affected communities, local authorities, Government departments and private-sector developers, seeking peaceful and sustainable solutions.
The organisation initially concentrated its interventions in three Midlands districts — Gweru, Mberengwa and Gokwe South.
In Gweru District, its work covered Muchakata, Mbembeswana and surrounding rural service centres, including Ntabamhlope, Maboleni and Insukamini.
In Mberengwa, interventions focused on Vanguard and Neta, while in Gokwe South, the organisation worked in areas affected by the expansion of Gokwe Town Council.
CCMT has since expanded its operations to Zvimba District, where preliminary assessments have been conducted ahead of further engagement with affected households and other stakeholders.
Ms Magurupira said the organisation adopted a request-based approach, responding to concerns arising from development projects initiated by both the public and private sectors.
Its interventions include strengthening the capacity of community representatives and other stakeholders, facilitating dialogue platforms, supporting policy development and promoting peaceful resolutions to land-related disputes.
CCMT also facilitates negotiations aimed at securing adequate compensation, protecting livelihoods, addressing accommodation concerns and establishing frameworks for the regularisation of settlements where necessary.
Ms Magurupira said the approach had resulted in several agreements that helped resolve disputes and provide greater certainty for affected communities.
In Vanguard, an agreement reached in 2023 resolved a conflict and secured livelihoods and accommodation for 2 332 people.
In 2024, another agreement was reached between Muchakata families and Vungu Rural District Council, while bilateral agreements were developed for 18 individual households in the rural service centre.
She said sustained engagement among communities, local authorities, Government departments and private-sector developers was essential to resolving disputes and preventing conflicts from escalating.
Ms Magurupira added that development needed to be accompanied by processes that recognised the rights and concerns of affected people, particularly where projects changed access to land, natural resources and established sources of income.
Through its interventions, CCMT seeks to promote peaceful relations between communities and development actors while ensuring that the social and economic costs of displacement are addressed through dialogue and negotiated settlements.
Gweru District Development Coordinator Mr Tarisai Mudadigwa said projects intended to improve living standards could also trigger conflicts between developers and local communities if their effects on residents were not adequately addressed.
He said infrastructure development, agribusiness, mining, urbanisation and the regularisation of dysfunctional settlements needed to be implemented in ways that protected the welfare and rights of affected communities.
“The Second Republic, under the leadership of President Mnangagwa, is pro-development and is committed to ensuring that conflicts do not arise from the negative impacts of such projects on communities, including displacement, disruption of livelihoods, environmental degradation and, in some cases, inadequate compensation for affected community members,” Mr Mudadigwa said.
He commended CCMT for developing constructive and sustainable approaches to conflict resolution, saying its interventions had helped transform disputes into opportunities for positive development.
“Using this approach, the organisation has successfully transformed several community conflicts into opportunities for positive development,” he said.
Since 2009, CCMT has expanded its work in the Midlands Province, gradually shifting towards request-based programming that allows it to develop tailored interventions in response to specific cases raised by local authorities and other stakeholders.
