Domboshava, Harare, Zimbabwe – The ancestors of Primrose Garande relied on fertile pastures here to graze their cattle, and he followed their traces. Now, a career operation funded by China threatens the lush landscape.
Garande no longer knows where his cattle will graze. When tuition fees was due and money was rare, livestock has always provided a safety net. “A cow,” he says, “is my wealth reserve.”
A Chinese company, Adving Admire Anesu Building Supplier, obtained more than 220 hectares (544 acres) of land thanks to a special government grant and for presidential approval in December 2024, despite a 2020 moratorium on new extraction permits for four years. This année Garande and its neighbors, who fear the degradation of land, water shortages and loss of pasture. They also fear that a professional college in the region can also undergo damage.
While the company argues that the granite extraction project will create jobs and stimulate the Zimbabwe economy, environmentalists have thwarted that these projects prioritize the interests of businesses and geopolitics on sustainability, leaving local communities to support costs.
Chinese companies are major players in the mining sector of Zimbabwe. According to the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency 2023 annual report, the latest available, 201 277 licenses related to mining went to Chinese companies.
Takudzwa Mashingaidze, partner at Muvingi and Mugadza, specializing in mining law, said that President Emerson Mnangagwa has the only power to approve or refuse special mining subsidies – and that there is no provision for preventing abuse of this power.
A visit to the Ministry of Mines and Mines Development revealed that no new subsidy for mining projects had been issued for over four years. A representative of the Ministry of the Office of Cadastre Mines who is not authorized to speak to the media indicates that the AAA subsidy has been issued in “special circumstances” approved by the cabinet, although the representative is not aware of the reasons.
“We asked for a special subsidy from the president and received approval after identifying the region as a potential mining site,” explains Charles Mubvumba, general manager of the AAA. The project, he adds, awaits approval after an evaluation of the environmental impact.
In reality, workers are already setting up operations.
Tafara Chiremba, a member of the Environmental Lawyers Association Zimbabwe, says that mining companies are required to consult residents as part of the EIA process, which assesses the potential environmental effects of the proposed projects, but local feedback does not necessarily stop a project.
“The government has the last word,” he says, “and communities do not have the power to end projects that affect their well-being.”
The ministry of mines, he adds, rarely reveals mining services clauses, leaving communities in ignorance of the promised advantages. The application of the AAA mentioned economic advantages such as social programs, the transfer of skills and the development of infrastructure, but has provided no details on the implementation.
Caught between promises of progress and fears of travel, some residents wonder why such large -scale projects are approved without their contribution.
“The government should at least consult us before these mining subsidies,” explains Garande.
But Mubvumba insists that the AAA consulted the community. Some supported the investment, while others have expressed concerns about pollution, dust and water contamination, he said, stressing that the company has attenuation plans, such as planting trees.
“Investment is welcome, but he must benefit the community,” explains Murape Murape, local advisor. “We do not have the power to stop mining or dictate the use of land, but there should be a win-win situation.”
He urges the company to limit its operations to 5 hectares (12 acres) containing stone deposits. One of the shareholders of the AAA, Tom Xu, said that the company can produce other building materials, such as sand, on the remaining land, but did not yet have clear plans. Murape would prefer that they leave this land to expand the professional college, which has existed since 1920. He fears that the explosion of the mine destabilizes the buildings there.
“The land should have been used to extend the college, benefiting residents,” echoes Simbarashe Walter Chiunye, president of the student council at the college. “Instead, this project was imposed on us, and we are right there to put it in rubber.”