By A Correspondent– A Chinese-owned multi-million-dollar cement plant in Magunje, Mashonaland West province, has sparked divisions among top Zanu PF officials and drawn the ire of local villagers.
The project, run byLabenmon Investment (Pvt) Ltd, has become a flashpoint of conflict, with villagers raising environmental concerns and alleging human rights violations. Residents say the plant is too close toMagunje Dam, their main source of drinking water, and argue it threatens their grazing land. They are demanding that the plant be relocated to a designated industrial zone.
Last Friday,Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambivisited the site to meet both the Chinese investors and the affected villagers.
His visit followed an unannounced inspection byPresidential Affairs and Devolution Secretary Tafadzwa Muguti, amid reports thatPresident Emmerson Mnangagwahad ordered the project be halted over health and environmental concerns — including its proximity toMagunje Army Barracks.
The Chinese company stands accused of defying aHigh Court orderthat suspended operations pending investigations by theEnvironmental Management Agency (EMA). Villagers have also reported arbitrary arrests and intimidation by security forces for resisting the project.
The dispute has reportedly caused friction within Zanu PF, with factions clashing over whether the plant should proceed.
Ziyambi, who is also a senior Zanu PF politburo member, confirmed the visit, saying he wanted to fully understand the situation on the ground.
“I mainly went there to appreciate and understand the issues,” he said. “That’s what some people didn’t want.
I was there as a Cabinet minister and as a senior Zanu PF official.”
Ziyambi emphasised the importance of dialogue and compliance with the law.
“If the project was approved, then proper documentation, including work permits and a valid Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), should be in place. If they comply with the law, then I don’t see the problem,” he said.
“We can’t just discard a project of this scale — it could benefit not only the local community but the entire country. My question is: what exactly do the critics want? Surely, we can’t say we don’t want a cement factory in Zimbabwe.”
Source: Zimeye
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