Following the protests by Manhize villagers against the Chinese-owned Dinson Iron and Steel Company (Disco), there are rising demands for the company to swiftly implement social safety measures for the impoverished community, which has been left in dire straits after losing their farmland without compensation.
On June 14, Manhize villagers blocked Disco’s trucks, protesting against the unjust acquisition of their farmland, resulting hunger, and severe dust pollution.
The Centre for Research and Development (CRD), a civic society group promoting human rights and good governance, emphasized the need for the company to provide social safety nets to protect the community.
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During the demonstration, Mary Tsiko (58) highlighted that their protest was driven by severe hunger after Disco took their ancestral land, exposing them to diseases due to dust pollution. “Children are not attending school because our land, our source of livelihood, has been taken away. Many are ill from the dust from the company’s operations. We protest to pressure the company to address our concerns,” she said.
According to CRD, villagers in Mushenjere, settled at Inhoek Farm in Mvuma, have been displaced from land they occupied for over 40 years, raising concerns about the flawed land tenure system causing mass evictions.
Communities in Chivhu and Mvuma, especially those relocated for Disco’s $1.5 billion steel plant, report deteriorated living conditions, sparking fears of another resource curse. Despite being promoted as Africa’s largest integrated steel plant, Disco’s operations have plunged victims into poverty, with indications of severe food insecurity.
Since 2021, over 100 families from Mushenjere Village have lost their land to Disco, leaving once self-sufficient villagers unable to produce enough food.
“The living conditions on the land specified in their permits depend entirely on the minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement,” CRD stated. “The minister can revoke this permit at any time and under any conditions deemed fit, with compensation decided by the minister.”
In an interview with The NewsHawks, Mupfumi urged the company to provide cash and food hampers to alleviate the villagers’ plight. “Dinson must meet each family’s food needs based on the CCZ poverty datum line of at least $500, backdated to 2021 when they started dispossessing farmland, until a new relocation area is prepared,” Mupfumi said.
“Forced relocations are an international crime, and the government must protect the rights of those affected by Dinson’s operations.”
“Dinson has created unbearable conditions for farmers, with relocated families living in poverty without food, education, health facilities, clean water, and facing structural issues in their homes. They received no compensation for lost production.”
Mupfumi noted that the recent demonstration reflects desperate attempts by affected groups to be heard amid a lack of government protection. “Mining has been marked by opacity, policy inconsistencies, and human rights violations by both the government and mining entities.”
“The government allowed Dinson to start mining without an Environmental Impact Assessment, a relocation plan, or regard for the locals’ rights, violating the constitution and international law.”
“Local residents have lost four farming seasons due to Disco’s arbitrary land seizures, with no compensation or prepared relocation area, leaving them in poverty.”
The company has been accused of insincerity in providing promised food aid. On January 23, Disco delivered only minimal supplies worth $14 to Mushenjere villagers. In March, permit holders received $200 each just before a visit by First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa.
After starting operations in 2021, Disco built houses for 14 families relocated to Rusununguko Farm in 2022, leaving more families, including 32 on state land, in limbo.
Locals believe the company has been trying to push them away since then. CRD pointed out that uncertainty is compounded by the government’s failure to repeal repressive land tenure laws.
“The government exploited colonial-era mining laws and an insecure land tenure system to grant Dinson exclusive mining rights over farming land in Manhize, despite Zimbabwe’s 2013 constitution recognizing citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms.”
“These laws do not respect traditional communities’ rights where land is prospected for mining or public purposes, leaving agricultural landholders at the state’s mercy.”
Since 2021, Disco has taken 1,170 hectares of farmland in Mushenjere Village, leaving farmers without a livelihood. The loss of grazing land has forced farmers to sell cattle at low prices.
In Kwaedza Village, 138 families face similar issues as Disco sets land survey pegs in their village. The villagers, from poor communal areas, were allocated land in 1984 under the government’s land reform program.
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