Govt chefs scramble to save cement project

SENIOR government officials have moved in to save a multi-million-dollar cement plant in Majunje, Mashonaland West province, amid growing opposition to the venture.

The Magunje Cement Plant, operated by Labenmon Investment (Pvt) Ltd, has been a focal point of conflict between the local community and the Chinese enterprise.

Villagers have reportedly bemoaned the plant’s closeness to a dam that serves as their primary source of drinking water and that it will deprive them of grazing land.

The community is calling for the plant to be relocated to an industrial area, away from their vital water source.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs minister Ziyambi Ziyambi on Friday last week visited the contentious Chinese-owned cement plant last week, where he met villagers and the Chinese investors.

Ziyambi’s visit came a few days after Presidential Affairs and Devolution secretary Tafadzwa Muguti made an unannounced visit to the province amid reports that there maybe a shift in government’s stance on the issue.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has reportedly directed that the project be halted due to environmental issues, as the site of the plant has dire health consequences for the residents and the nearby army barracks at Magunje.

The Chinese are accused of ignoring a High Court order stopping the operations while the Environmental Management Agency (Ema) carries out investigations on the effects of the plant.

Villagers have also complained of arbitrary arrests and intimidation for resisting the project.

The project has divided the Zanu PF political leadership, with distinct sides fighting over the issue, threatening the project.

Ziyambi yesterday confirmed visiting the project site, saying he went to meet villagers, Chinese investors and traditional leaders as a senior Zanu PF official in the province and Cabinet minister.

“I mainly went there to appreciate and be able to understand what the issues were. And that is what other people did not want. I was there as a Zanu PF politburo and a senior member of the party,” he said.

Ziyambi also said he visited Magunje to appreciate the situation following concerns raised over the project.

“So when I was made aware of this issue, I said, I want to understand what the real issues are. Let me go on the ground with the leadership in Mashonaland West,” he said.

“That is how I got involved. And I invited everyone. I did not do it clandestinely. Those who wanted to come came, and then others resisted. And when I went on the ground, the picture that I got was different from what I was being told.”

Ziyambi said there was a need for the stakeholders to reach an agreement over the issue.

“My position was, if this project had been approved, there would have been work permits that would have been procured. If it’s an EIA [environmental impact assessment] in order of compliance, you agree with them, comply with the requirements. That’s our law. I don’t see what is problematic about that,” he said.

“You cannot say you want to throw away something that can benefit you and the generations to come and it will benefit Zimbabwe. My argument is, what is it that they are saying they want?

“Are we saying that in Zimbabwe, we are not going to have a cement factory? So what is it that they want? To me, it is not personal. But to be very honest, who on earth would say that we don’t want a project of that magnitude?”

Zanu PF Mashonaland West provincial chairperson Mary Mliswa also confirmed that Ziyambi was on a factfinding mission in Magunje.

“What worries me are people distorting information because from my point of view, what I witnessed is people are happy in Magunje. Villagers know about this project or investment and they are happy this is going to bring jobs and development in the area and this is the first one of kind in Magunje. This is rural industrialisation that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been preaching about and this is part of 2030 vision.

“If there are issues, they are being addressed and to be honest with you, out of almost 70 traditional leaders, who attended the fact-finding meeting, were happy, only one had an issue and the company has promised to address the matter.”

Reports from Magunje have, however, indicated that the construction of the cement plant does not meet environmental standards.

A Magunje villager, said they were against the setting up of an industrial area in the catchment area of Magunje Dam.

“We are against the unprocedural setting up of an industrial area, in particular a cement plant, in the catchment area of Magunje Dam, which supplies fresh water to 2.3 Barracks, Magunje growth point, nearby Magunje Irrigation Scheme, Magunje Hospital, various schools and the surrounding areas,” he said.

“We have seen the invasion of communal land in Magunje with minimal participatory consultation with the communities of Magunje and Hurungwe, in general.”

Meanwhile, according to audios recorded at the meeting on Friday leaked to NewsDay, traditional leaders from the district were concerned with complaints raised by the villagers.

Chief Chanetsa said he summoned a meeting to discuss the villagers’ issues, but some of the people who were complaining did not attend.

“It hurts a lot to know that as the chief, I did something. It is now like a meeting that never took place. We did not start the project in a place like this.

“We started it when it was still a forest and we even consulted the headmen. hanyaninews. We followed the responses we got from the villagers. If Hurungwe prospers and a cement plant is constructed, we will be happy,” he said.

Chanetsa, however, said all the traditional leaders in the area were happy with the project.

Ziyambi told the gathering that there was a need for consensus for the project to prosper.

“It is supposed to be done when people are not fighting. If you fight with your brother, your rivals will be busy enjoying your benefits. So we need to be focused,” he said.

Meanwhile, a senior government official reportedly met with representatives from various institutions involved in mining activities at the Magunje cement plant, including officials from Ema, local government, police and the Mines ministry.

Reports have also suggested that the discussions centred on addressing the community’s grievances and broader implications of mining activities in the area.

Sources said that the official expressed concern on behalf of the presidium regarding the ongoing mining activities in Magunje, particularly the impact on local communities.

“The secretary was in the province to meet all institutions involved in mining activities at Magunje cement plant. He expressed concern about the mining activities at Magunje by the Chinese,” sources said.

Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Marian Chombo refused to comment on the matter. Newsday