Armies
of
excavators
and
dump
trucks
carving
deep,
terraced
ruts
into
and
around
hills,
mountainsides
and
waterways
are
a
common
sight
in
Zimbabwe.
For
locals,
the
scars
of
large,
industrial
mining
operations
offer
frequent
reminders
of
the
environmental
toll.
Public
anger
among
Zimbabweans
has
risen
steadily
in
recent
years
amid
accusations
of
Chinese
mining
companies
committing
serious
crimes
—
ranging
from
murder,
rape
and
forced
evictions
to
pollution
and
loss
of
habitats
—
sometimes
with
few
or
no
legal
consequences.
Journalist
and
human
rights
advocate
Tendai
Mbofana
recently
raised
alarm
when
he
shared
a
video
on
October
21
of
a
Chinese
mining
operation
near
his
home
in
Redcliff.
The
video,
which
was
widely
shared
across
Zimbabwean
media
outlets,
showed
heavy
equipment
digging
next
to
the
Cactus
Port
Dam,
leading
Mbofana
to
warn
of
a
serious
threat
to
the
ecosystem
along
the
Kwekwe
River.
“The
only
word
that
I
can
think
of
right
now
to
describe
these
Chinese
mining
activities
in
Redcliff
is
that
it’s
appalling.
It’s
reprehensible,”
he
told
The
Public
Eye
newspaper.
“We
cannot
surely
call
ourselves
an
independent,
sovereign,
self-governing
state
when
we
allow
foreigners
to
come
into
our
country
and
do
pretty
much
what
they
want.”
Chinese-owned
companies
control
an
estimated
90%
of
Zimbabwe’s
mining
industry,
according
to
the
Harare-based
Centre
for
Natural
Resource
Governance
(CNRG),
an
organization
that
seeks
to
support
communities
affected
by
mining.
It
has
reported
on
mineral
extractions
worth
billions
of
dollars
annually
to
Chinese
mining
companies,
including
$2.79
billion
in
2023.
“Over
the
past
decade,
CNRG
has
led
efforts
to
investigate
and
document
the
environmental,
social,
and
economic
effects
of
mining
in
Zimbabwe,”
the
organization
said
in
an
October
14
statement.
“Our
research
…
consistently
reveals
that
many
foreign
mining
operations,
including
those
involving
Chinese
capital,
occur
in
[sensitive]
environments,
circumvent
regulation,
lack
transparency
and
bribe
officials
to
weaken
their
oversight
role.”
Mbofana
said
mining
in
Redcliff
is
destroying
landscapes
and
poisoning
a
water
source
that
supplies
commercial
and
subsistence
farmers
downstream.
“Cactus
Port
Dam
is
a
very
important
dam
for
Redcliff,”
he
said.
“The
Kwekwe
is
vital
for
agriculture,
for
flora
and
fauna
in
aquatic
life,
but
that
is
all
under
threat
by
these
Chinese
activities.
We
are
going
to
be
left
behind
with
unusable
land
and
mountains
that
have
been
mutilated.”
Mbofana’s
video
set
off
stern
criticism
from
citizens
and
environmental
and
civil
society
activists
who
say
Chinese
companies
are
plundering
the
country’s
natural
resources
with
little
oversight
or
accountability.
“This
is
not
investment,
it’s
daylight
environmental
terrorism,”
Rodreck
Kudakwashe,
a
prolific
Harare-based
social
commentator,
posted
on
X
on
October
21.
“The
Chinese
systematically
strip
Zimbabwe
of
its
resources
and
mortgage
our
future
under
the
guise
of
economic
development.”
Mbofana
reported
“a
massive
blast
during
the
night
that
shook
homes
across
Redcliff
and
filled
the
air
with
suffocating
dust”
in
an
October
22
article
on
the
Harare-based
NewsHawks
website.
“This
was
not
an
isolated
incident.
Residents
say
these
blasts
have
become
a
regular
nightmare.
“If
the
mining
continues
unchecked,
contamination
and
siltation
will
inevitably
destroy
the
livelihoods
of
countless
farmers
and
threaten
food
security
for
families
dependent
on
small-scale
agriculture.
Once
the
dam
and
river
are
polluted
by
mining
waste,
it
will
take
generations
to
recover,
if
ever.”
Citing
Chinese
lithium
extraction
in
Zimbabwe’s
Bikita
region,
journalist
Marcus
Mushonga
said
China’s
resource-for-infrastructure
model
has
raised
alarms
about
exploitation,
sovereignty
and
sustainability.
“Across
Africa,
Chinese
mining
operations
have
been
linked
to
environmental
destruction,
labor
violations
and
disregard
for
local
communities,”
he
wrote
in
an
October
22
article
for
the
South
Africa-based
Centre
for
African
Journalists
news
agency.
“In
Zimbabwe,
the
partnership
between
the
state
and
Chinese
entities
—
often
described
as
opaque
and
unaccountable
—
has
left
many
communities
disenfranchised
and
ecosystems
degraded.”
Source:
Chinese
Mining
Stirs
Up
Anger
in
Zimbabwe
–
Africa
Defense
Forum