Chinese businesses’ indiscriminate mining in Zimbabwe without sufficient social and environmental assessments has been a source of concern, as it has resulted in increased environmental and infrastructure damage in the region. China’s resource sector connection with Zimbabwe is particularly strong, with direct equity stakes in copper, coal, and manganese reserves; nonetheless, indiscriminate mining has become a source of concern in the country. Communities in Zimbabwe’s mineral-rich Great Dyke region have raised worry about mining routes that have become death traps for humans and livestock. White ASB Gold Mine, which operates along the Dohwe River, is also said to have encroached on the Dohwe River basin. The firm, which employed heavy machinery, Further, communities living in the downstream area along the Dohwe river were concerned regarding their health and safety considering the use of mercury in mining activities.
The mining activities by Chinese companies has also caused the displacement of the people. One of the several examples demonstrating this is that of a Chinese Company exploring quarry mining in a village in the Mutoko district of Zimbabwe. The company reportedly asked the villagers to leave their homes to make way for a granite quarry. Similarly, people of Dinde village in Zimbabwe opposed the Chinese coal mining project near a wildlife reserve in the Hwange district for the fear of being displaced and their main source of water being polluted by toxic acids. Though the Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe alleged that the companies were working for the betterment of the country, mistrust among locals persists. Contrary to the Zimbabwe government’s new statutory provision for environment management (control of alluvial mining) to prevent overexploitation, a Chinese mining company continued to defy the government ban on alluvial gold mining, following which the locals filed an application in the court. However, the application seeking to bar the company from mining was dismissed on technical grounds.
Chinese companies have been taking advantage of the loopholes in the mining laws of Zimbabwe. According to the observers, Zimbabwe, which aims to have a green economy by 2030 and reduce its carbon emissions by 33 per cent, is unlikely to achieve its goals amid the hazardous mining activities by Chinese companies. Notably, China now imports USD100 billion worth of base metals from Africa every year and consumes over 25 per cent of the world’s supplies. However, with Africa playing a critical role in the provision of key minerals for the Chinese economy, the increasing resentment in African countries against the Chinese investment in mining activities could be an issue of concern for Beijing. -BollyInside
