300 Chegutu Families Face Eviction By Chinese Mining Project
Approximately 300 families in Chegutu East Constituency are facing potential eviction from their plots to pave way for a proposed platinum project by a Chinese firm, NewZimbabwe.com reported.
Villagers say the Chinese company is working with a local company linked to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF).
They believe influential retired military generals, with the blessing of two government ministers, are using their political connections to effect the evictions.
One of the plot holders who spoke to NewZimbabwe.com vowed to fight for their land. He said:
Platinum is drilled from 600 metres to 1000 metres depth, so, it does not affect us as farmers.
This is just a way to take our land under the guise of platinum mining; this is a typical case of powerful people who just want to chase us away.
Another community member said they have nowhere to go and that they cannot leave their homes and graves. He said:
Our President (Emmerson Mnangagwa) said the land reform programme is not reversible and no one must be displaced but here four farms are about to be seized by a few people.
We know them; they are retired generals, and they are working together with the Chinese company.
What will happen to us and our loved ones’ graves?
We have been here for so many years; where do you want us to go? What does our culture say about this?
We cannot be removed from our ancestral land by fellow black people simply because they have money.
The majority of the people are retired civil servants who were allocated their plots by the government.
