Bryden
Country
School
in
Chegutu
is
locked
in
a
fierce
legal
battle
against
Chinese-owned
Shuntai
Holdings
over
the
construction
of
a
lime
and
cement
factory
just
497
metres
from
the
school
boundary,
with
parents,
teachers
and
education
leaders
warning
of
dire
health
and
environmental
consequences
for
pupils.
In
a
circular
to
parents
last
week,
the
school’s
Board
of
Governors
detailed
a
timeline
of
events
since
February,
when
Shuntai
first
informed
Bryden
of
its
plans.
Despite
resistance
from
the
school,
parents,
and
other
stakeholders,
construction
has
pressed
ahead
—
in
open
defiance
of
a
High
Court
order
suspending
work
at
the
site.
“We
found
there
was
no
supporting
documentation
for
Shuntai
to
operate
in
this
Zone
earmarked
for
Education,”
the
letter
reads,
pointing
out
that
Springs
of
Grace,
the
Seventh
Day
Adventist
Secondary
School
and
University
are
also
within
the
affected
area.
The
school
says
it
raised
multiple
objections
to
Shuntai’s
Environmental
and
Social
Impact
Assessment
(ESIA)
report,
which
it
claims
failed
to
address
health
and
safety
concerns.
Despite
this,
the
Environmental
Management
Agency
(EMA)
issued
the
company
a
certificate
in
April,
forcing
Bryden
to
sue
the
regulator.
The
High
Court
subsequently
ordered
EMA
to
release
the
documents
underlying
the
certification,
but
they
turned
out
to
be
the
same
contested
report.
Meanwhile,
parents
and
pupils
have
endured
worsening
conditions
at
the
school,
including
clouds
of
dust,
noxious
fumes,
loud
blasting
and
heavy
machinery
noise.
On
July
25,
a
High
Court
judge
personally
visited
the
site
and
later
ruled
that
Shuntai
was
in
contempt
of
the
original
stop-work
order.
But
despite
the
ruling,
construction
has
continued,
the
school
said.
Former
education
minister
David
Coltart
slammed
the
developments,
calling
the
situation
“simply
outrageous.”
“How
can
we
allow
one
of
our
finest
schools
to
be
threatened
in
this
manner
by
a
Chinese
company
which
will
rape
our
resources,
expend
them
all,
shift
their
profits
to
China
and
then
move
back
to
China
to
enjoy
them
—
all
while
one
of
our
finest
educational
institutions
is
destroyed?”
Coltart
said.
“This
must
stop.
We
need
firm
Government
action
to
end
this
thuggery.”
Bryden’s
board
has
urged
parents
to
rally
behind
the
school
in
its
legal
fight,
warning
that
the
future
of
generations
of
learners
is
at
stake.
Post
published
in:
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