“Citizens call for responsible investment” 

As we continue with our mandate of raising awareness among communities to assert and claim their environmental, economic, social and cultural rights within the natural resource and environmental sectors we decided to capture citizens’ voices through images. The month of February saw us touring resource rich communities in Zimbabwe where we captured the images that portray the grave injustices that have been brought about by mining investors. The 13th of March saw the organisation bringing together Chivi community members and local leaders for a Photo Voices Exhibition which was held at a community hall.

…Currently, Zimbabwe’s mining sector is one of the major sectors of the economy that still has a large proportion of foreign ownership. However, while commonly presented as a sector providing development opportunities for the national government and local communities, mining has also been named ‘‘the evil sector’’ because of its projects that repeatedly trigger a cocktail of problems such as livelihood shifts, displacements from ancestral lands and insidious social, cultural, environmental, and economic changes. By its very nature, the mining industry, just like the oil and gas industries, leaves behind a ‘‘footprint’’ of environmental, social, and economic impact…At least two families have lost their loved ones who fell into gullies left open by granite mining companies in the district. Granite extraction has also impacted their cultural beliefs and practices in ways that are detrimental to their well-being. In the Nyamutsahuni area, a Chinese company desecrated graves in search of the precious stone and for the locals this is unacceptable and totally against their cultural beliefs.

For the communities, policies must be suitably tailored to promote inter-generational equity in the mining sector. Without the necessary legal predicate, local communities in Zimbabwe will continue to suffer at the hands of mining companies. A mutually beneficial partnership between the state, the private sector, civil society, local communities and other stakeholders must be developed. Harnessing mineral resources for economic development and community empowerment is critical in addressing the poverty scourge and overally improving the quality of life for all Zimbabweans.