The 40 families who had to move from Mukwasi and Tagarira villages in Buhera, Manicaland province, so that Max Mind Investments could mine lithium say their lives have been turned upside down by the relocation.
Mavis Honye, a widow, is one of the most affected. She lives with 19 other people in a five-room house provided by Max Mind before they started mining in 2023.
The houses built by Max Mind have a kitchen, a sitting room, and three bedrooms. But for Honye, it’s not enough. Her adult children and grandchildren need their own space, which wasn’t considered when Max Mind planned the relocation.
In rural Zimbabwe, tradition often dictates that when a boy child gets married, he builds his own home either within or close to the family homestead. Honye’s sons are married, but Max Mind didn’t account for this when they planned the move.
“So, they built this five-room house for me and my family but, as you can see, my family is too big,” said Honye. “They refused to build my son a house, so I am living with him, his wife, and two children. I have two more grown-up boys in the house, both married.”
When we visited Honye’s home, there were 22 people living there, including her single-parent daughters. Honye’s married daughter visited with her three children, adding to the crowding.
Honye’s son, Fanuel Mandzeke, feels they were treated unfairly by Max Mind. “We got a raw deal from the company,” he said. “Our feelings and thoughts were not considered.”
Mandzeke added that they’re struggling to make ends meet in town because they weren’t given jobs by Max Mind as promised. “Now we are struggling to survive because everything requires money in town. We are being charged for things such as electricity, which we never had to pay for before.”
Other villagers also voiced their discomfort, saying they’re living with in-laws due to space constraints, which is not ideal.
#watch Forty families from Tagarira and Mukwasi Villages in Buhera, Manicaland where last year moved from their ancestral lands, to pave way for lithium mining by Sabi Star Mine, owned by Max Mind Investments, a subsidiary of Chinese giant Shenzhen Chengxin Lithium Group Company… pic.twitter.com/hheBdTtTzI
— TheNewsHawks (@NewsHawksLive) March 20, 2024
Source | NewsHawks
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