FEATURE: The great black granite robbery

08 Mar, 2015 - 00:03 0 Views
FEATURE: The great black granite robbery Quarry stone producers and black granite miners are accused of polluting the environment

The Sunday Mail

Quarry stone producers and black granite miners are accused of polluting the environment

Quarry stone producers and black granite miners are accused of polluting the environment

A heavily-loaded haulage truck huffs and puffs as it negotiates a sharp bend.

The dusty road is clearly in a state of disrepair. As the driver desperately tries to negotiate the road, he almost hit a cyclist who swerves out of the truck’s way. A hailstorm of obscenities explodes from the ranting and raving cyclist. The cyclist is accusing the haulage trucks of damaging the road network.

Over the years, disputes have been simmering between black granite miners and communities in which they quarry for the valuable stone.

Communities in which companies are mining for granite are accusing the companies of exploiting the natural resources without ploughing back to the communities. Villagers are alleging that as the mining companies reap huge profits from granite, local communities remain poor.

“Granite miners have adopted a hit-and-run approach. They are only concerned with making profits and never bother to care about the environment and the welfare of the communities in which they operate,” said John Kowo of Kowo village in Mutoko.

Black granite, which is used to make tiles, tombstones and in construction, is mostly mined in Murehwa, Mutoko and Mount Darwin. Local granite is exported to South America, Europe and the United States among other markets.

Villagers in Mutoko are accusing the mining companies of destroying the environment, causing noise pollution and the destruction of houses that are cracking due to blasting.

In interviews carried out by The Sunday Mail Extra in Murehwa and Mutoko, the villagers are alleging that few individuals, most of whom are based in Harare, are benefitting from granite whilst they are wallowing in poverty.

Although black granite has been mined in some parts of Mutoko district since 1972, the local communities are not benefitting from the “black diamond.”

More than 10 companies are mining black granite in Mutoko district alone.

It is also mined in Uzumba and Mt Darwin, among other areas.

Enquiries made by The Sunday Mail Extra revealed that on the international market, black granite, which was classified by Government as a mineral, can fetch as much as US$800 per square metre.

Sources in the mining sector indicated that of the granite that is extracted in Mutoko, 95 percent is exported with the remainder being used on the local market.

Despite the fact that Mutoko is one of the country’s biggest producers of black granite, roads linking the quarries to the main Harare – Nyamapanda highway are in a bad state.

Headman Mbudzi (Mr Benhura Katsande), of Kowo village, is not happy with the conduct of both the local political leadership and the mining companies.

“We are aware of the fact that a number of Community Ownership Schemes were set up in such mining communities as Chiadzwa and Ngezi. We do not have such a thing here and the community has not benefited from the exploitation of the stone. We are being taken for granted,” Headman Mbudzi said.

According to headman Mbudzi, mining companies have been promising to initiate development programmes but have not fulfilled their pledges.

“We have had several meetings with representatives of the mining companies but nothing has materialised. There has been talk of a Constituency Ownership Trust but again nothing came out of the several meetings that we had,” headman Mbudzi said.

Most rivers in Mutoko are heavily silted and there has been serious land degradation. Over the years, people and cattle have drowned in open pits that are left by the mining companies. The local leadership alleges that since 2008, more than six people have drowned in unprotected pits.

The owners of the cattle are rarely compensated.

According to the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation, Mutoko district produces 75 percent of the country’s total black granite output.

Headman Mbudzi is not happy with the mining companies’ employment policies.

“The companies have very few permanent workers and those that are injured in blasting accidents are not compensated. We have had instances in which the family of a worker who was killed in a blasting accident was only given US$100. This is exploitation at its worst,” Headman Mbudzi said.

Some of the companies stand accused of bringing with them workers from as far as Harare, sidelining locals in the process.

“Although the companies have a right to employ the people they want, they must also consider locals. They cannot just come here, loot our granite and leave without us benefiting,” said Trynos Gurure, a local villager.

According to villagers that were part of a media tour which was organised by the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, some of the companies that are operating in the area are refusing to compensate their injured workers.

Headman Mbudzi confirmed the allegations and accused some of the political leaders of sympathising with the miners at the expense of the villagers.

“Some of our political leaders are dining with the devil. They are not sympathetic to the villagers’ causes,” Headman Mbudzi said.

Efforts to get a comment from the House of Assembly representative were fruitless.

Mr Emmanuel Nyanyiwa, a co-owner of Finnex Quarry Company, was quoted in a local publication accusing the community of being ungrateful.

“We have helped the community a lot. People should appreciate that we are not mining gold or diamonds but granite,” Mr Nyanyiwa was quoted as having said.

Workers at Manwick, one of the mining companies, refused to speak to The Sunday Mail Extra.

“We are not allowed to speak to the media. Go ahead and write whatever you want,” one of the workers whom this paper could not identify said.

Efforts to get a comment from the other mining companies were fruitless as workers refused to entertain this paper citing protocol. All of the mining companies are headquartered in Harare.

Mutoko villagers recently confronted the mining companies through a demonstration against the exploitation of their natural resources. The villagers were, however, arrested, appeared in court and were subsequently fined US$300 each.

On average, mining companies produce more than 120 000 metric tonnes of black granite worth more than US$12 million. On the local market a tombstone costs over US$400. Prices, however, depends on quality and size.

Headman Mbudzi said the mining companies were holding on to some claims and called upon the Government to release some of them to the community.

“As a community, we are calling upon the Government to issue a directive that will compel mining companies to release some of the claims that they are holding on to. The community, in partnership with partners, is capable of running a mining venture. We cannot be beggars forever,” a clearly agitated Headman Mbudzi said.

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