Online Reporter
FROM the platinum belts of the Great Dyke to the gold-rich soils of Mberengwa, our extractive sector is roaring back to life, attracting investment, generating employment, and boosting export earnings.
Yet, as we celebrate this resurgence, a sobering question lingers beneath the surface: At what cost to our communities?
The recent call by the Secretary for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Edgar Seenza, for responsible mining-induced displacement processes could not have come at a more critical juncture. His message that development must remain centred on people is a timely reminder that Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth belongs to all its citizens, not just the operators who extract it.
The ongoing validation workshop for the draft development-induced displacement best practice handbook, organised by the Centre for Conflict Management and Transformation (CCMT), represents a significant step toward ensuring that mining development does not come at the expense of those who call these mineral-rich lands home.
For too long, mining-induced displacement has been treated as an unfortunate but inevitable by-product of progress.
The environmental realities that follow, like soil degradation, water contamination, and the permanent alteration of ecosystems, compound this trauma, stripping communities not only of their homes but of their identity, their food security, and their connection to the land that sustained them for generations.
Dr Seenza rightly highlighted that mining-induced displacement introduces complexities that extend far beyond simple physical relocation. It is not merely about moving people from point A to point B. It is about the cultural dislocation of leaving ancestral graves behind. It is about the economic devastation when agrarian communities lose access to arable land. It is about the psychological toll of watching your way of life disappear in a cloud of dust from heavy machinery.
These are not abstract concerns; they are the lived realities of communities in Mberengwa and across Midlands Province, a region that exemplifies both the promise and the peril of mining-driven growth.
The timing of this push for accountability is significant. President Mnangagwa’s recent call for mining operators to move away from business models that extract wealth without building local capacity has set the tone from the top.
The ongoing development of the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill, alongside government measures to regulate strategic minerals, signals a national commitment to ensuring that Zimbabwe’s mineral resources benefit the broader public, not just a select few.
However, a handbook alone will not suffice. Its success will depend on rigorous implementation, adequate resourcing, and genuine political will at all levels of government and industry.
Moreover, the private sector must be held accountable. Mining companies that benefit from Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth must be willing partners in ensuring that displacement is managed responsibly, with adequate compensation, genuine consultation, and long-term support for affected communities.
