Жители Домбошавы опасаются потери пастбищных угодий, доступа к воде и образовательных учреждений, поскольку финансируемый Китаем горнодобывающий проект продвигается вперед, несмотря на мораторий.

Предки Примроуз Гаранде полагались на здешние плодородные пастбища для выпаса скота, и он пошел по их стопам. Теперь финансируемая Китаем карьерная операция угрожает пышному ландшафту. 

Гаранде больше не знает, где будет пастись его скот. Когда нужно было платить за школу и денег было мало, скот всегда обеспечивал страховочную сетку. «Корова, — говорит он, — это мой запас богатства».

Китайская компания Advance Admire Anesu Building Suppliers получила более 220 гектаров (544 акра) земли за счет специального правительственного гранта и одобрения президента в декабре 2024 года, несмотря на мораторий 2020 года на выдачу новых разрешений на добычу полезных ископаемых на четыре года. Это злит Гаранде и его соседей, которые опасаются деградации земель, нехватки воды и потери пастбищ. Они также опасаются, что профессионально-техническое училище в этом районе также может пострадать.

В то время как фирма утверждает, что проект по добыче гранита создаст рабочие места и будет стимулировать экономику Зимбабве, экологи возражают, что такие проекты отдают приоритет корпоративным и геополитическим интересам, а не устойчивости, оставляя местные сообщества нести расходы. 

Китайские компании являются крупными игроками в горнодобывающем секторе Зимбабве. Согласно годовому отчету Агентства инвестиций и развития Зимбабве за 2023 год, последняя доступная, 201 из 277 лицензий, связанных с добычей полезных ископаемых, досталась китайским компаниям.

Takudzwa Mashingaidze, an associate at Muvingi and Mugadza Legal Practitioners who specializes in mining law, says President Emerson Mnangagwa has the sole authority to approve or deny special mining grants -- and that there's no provision to prevent abuse of this power.

A visit to the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development revealed that no new grants for mining projects had been issued for more than four years. A ministry representative from the Mines Cadastre Office who is not authorized to speak to the media says that AAA's grant was issued under "special circumstances" approved by the Cabinet, though the representative is unaware of the reasons. 

"We applied for a special grant from the president and received approval after identifying the area as a potential mining site," says Charles Mubvumba, AAA's managing director. The project, he adds, is awaiting approval after an environmental impact assessment.

In reality, workers are already setting up operations.

Tafara Chiremba, a member of the Zimbabwe Environmental Lawyers Association, says mining companies are required to consult residents as part of the EIA process, which evaluates the potential environmental effects of proposed projects, but local feedback doesn't necessarily stop a project.

"The government has the final say," he says, "and communities have no power to halt projects that affect their welfare."

The Ministry of Mines, he adds, rarely discloses mining benefit clauses, leaving communities in the dark about promised advantages. AAA's application mentioned economic benefits such as social programs, skills transfer and infrastructure development but provided no details on implementation. 

Caught between promises of progress and fears of displacement, some residents question why such large-scale projects are approved without their input.

"The government should at least consult us before awarding these mining grants," Garande says.

But Mubvumba insists that AAA did consult the community. Some supported the investment, while others expressed concerns about pollution, dust and water contamination, he says, emphasizing that the company has mitigation plans, such as planting trees.

"Investment is welcome, but it must benefit the community," says Tonderai Murape, a local councillor. "We have no power to stop mining or dictate land use, but there should be a win-win situation."

He urges the firm to limit its operations to the 5 hectares (12 acres) containing stone deposits. One of AAA's shareholders, Tom Xu, has said that the firm may produce other building materials, like sand, on the remaining land but has no clear plans yet. Murape would prefer they leave that land for expanding the vocational college, which has existed since 1920. He fears that blasting from the mine will destabilize the buildings there. 

"The land should have been used to expand the college, benefiting residents," echoes Simbarashe Walter Chiunye, student council president at the college. "Instead, this project was imposed on us, and we are just here to rubber-stamp it."

Linda Mujuru is a Global Press Journal Reporter-in-Residence based in Harare, Zimbabwe.

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