On 21 October, the Zimbabwe
Peace Project participated in a
human rights awareness activity in
Dinde Village, about 20 km from
Hwange Central Business District.
6.0
Talking
human rights
in Dinde
ZPP joined four other
organisations, the Zimbabwe
Human Rights NGO Forum,
Zimbabwe Human Rights
Association, Zimbabwe Human
Rights Commission, Counselling
Services Unit, Zimbabwe Livelihood
and Humanitarian Development
Trust, and the International
Organization for Migration (IOM).
The Acting District Development
Coordinator for Hwange Simon
Muleya attended the event.
The event has provided a platform
for discourse on the pending
evictions of the people of Dinde,
reportedly to pave way for a
Chinese coal mining venture. The
community had the opportunity to
ask various questions about the
legal framework on evictions,
compensation and the procedures
to be followed in order to realize
harmony among citizens.
The key questions included:
• What provisions does the legal
framework have in resolving
land disputes?
• What models of compensation
exist for those affected by
evictions?
• What procedures can
communities like Dinde take to
seek recourse in the event of
being evicted?
Some of the issues the
communities raised include these:
The community members
expressed disquiet about the
presence of the Chinese who have
allegedly acquired rights to mine
coal in the area.
The Chinese have started blasting
and digging in Wards 11, 13, 19
and 20 where they are blasting and
digging pits as they prospect for
coal and these activities are
heightening the villagers’ fears of
eviction.
What is further fueling the
speculation and fear among
villagers is that the Chinese have
not consulted local village heads,
who are the custodians of cultural
and ethical practices in the
community. ·