Villagers, granite miner clash in Seke

SAVANHU villagers in Seke district, Mashonaland East province, have appealed to government to stop a granite mining company from operating in the area, arguing that it was allocated the claim without their consenThe locals have now petitioned the Mines and Mining Development Ministry and the Environment Management Agency in court to prevent Seven Stars Mining from operating in the area. The villagers, through Zanu PF councillor Blessing Munemo, are accusing the mining company Matscandnavia Investments, doing business as Seven Stars Mining, of exposing them to an unhealthy and dangerous environment through its mining operations. Munemo, who is represented by Tinashe Chinopfukutwa and Kelvin Kabaya of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, submitted an affidavit in support of his High Court interdict motion, claiming that mining activities expose them to unchecked environmental threats.

The locals are requesting a prohibitory interdict to prevent the mining firm from doing any prospecting, exploration, or mining activities in Mayambara village, Seke, without following appropriate and lawful procedures. In his statement, Munemo stated: "Sometime in 2023, Matscandnavia Investments, through its employees and/or agents, descended on Savanhu, Mhonda, Mhundwa, and Charigwati villages in Mayambara, Seke, and proceeded to peg the entire area of the four villages for quarry mining operations. "The majority of the pegs are in my village, Savanhu, ostensibly due to its vast breadth and granite reserves. The implanted pegs cover all four settlements. I was never contacted about the anticipated quarry mining activities, and I never agreed to them.

Munemo stated that on March 11 of this year, his lawyers wrote to Matscandnavia demanding that it cease quarry mining activities and remove its pegs because it had failed to comply with the provisions of the law, particularly in obtaining an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate.

According to the declaration, the mining business wrote to the chief executive of Manyame Rural District Council, accusing Munemo of disturbing its operations. However, the company stated that it had not yet secured the EIA certificate for the project and that it was quarry mining in the community. Munemo stated that the letter caused him to seek an interdict, citing Section 97 of the Environmental Management Act, which states that mineral exploration, including pegging, cannot take place unless Ema issues a certificate of approval.

He further claims that, according to a letter to council, Matscandnavia has yet to secure an EIA certificate, which is required for quarry mining operations, and that the pegging was illegal. He also referenced Section 73 of the Constitution, which states that he has a right to an environment that is not harmful to his health, as well as a right to have the environment conserved for the sake of current and future generations. "To that end, I submit that I have a clear right to live in an environment in which the environmental impact of the first respondent's mining activities is evaluated before they begin.

"It is beyond doubt that the purpose of environmental impact assessment certificate is to ensure sustainable use of natural resources," the submission stated. He stated that an EIA certificate would serve as proof that a development or activity meets environmental and natural resource sustainability requirements. He claimed that if mining activities were not halted, locals would suffer irreparable harm, losing grazing meadows, cultivable land, and treasured traditional and cultural sites.