Maguwu Decries Chinese Mining Operations In Zimbabwe As "Organised Crime"
Farai Maguwu, the founding director of the Centre for Natural Resource Governance, has characterised the proliferation of Chinese mining operations across Zimbabwe as a form of “organised crime” due to their exploitative nature.
Maguwu made these remarks during a virtual discussion organised by the Bubi Community Parliament last week, where he was a guest.
The discussion focused on environmental management and degradation in the Bubi district.
Chinese miners have been accused of extensive environmental degradation and a reluctance to reinvest in the communities where they operate.
Maguwu claimed that mines that started operating in Zimbabwe after the year 2000 have failed to meaningfully improve the areas in which they are situated. He said (via Southern Eye):
Mining that is conducted in Zimbabwe is organised crime, it is not really formal. In terms of mines that started operating after the year 2000, the one that I think is a demonstration of unit of environmental social or governance risk is Zimplats.
If you go to Zimplats you will realise that they have invested in the road infrastructure, and they have built a town such that even if Zimplats is said to have ceased operations in Zimbabwe, that settlement will continue to exist.
They have built houses for their staff, it is actually a town that they have built. But those coming from China, they have no intention to stay here, they have no intention to transform the place from the way they found it and turn it into a better place.
Maguwu argued that some of the so-called investors are not genuine investors at all, but rather criminals masquerading as such.
He went on to assert that these individuals “cannot even build toilets for their employees,” underscoring their blatant disregard for the basic welfare and dignity of the local workforce. He said:
The difference between a criminal and an investor is that an investor improves the place and leaves it a better place than they found it.
If you look at towns like Shurugwi and Zvishavane, they were built due to mining. Bindura, Hwange, they built that town from coal and today we have Hwange town because of mining.
But for criminals, what they leave are pits, some of these miners cannot even build toilets for their employees.
They do not invest in people, the environment and the future. Marange is a sad story, there is nothing in Marange, the roads are bad, and the clinic staff quarters are dilapidated.
Maguwu also claimed that the working conditions in most mining companies were deplorable, adding that some workers are driven to supplement their meager incomes by stealing from their employers.
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