Luke-ing the Beast in the Eye: Mnangagwa’s Chinese miner friends invade Domboshava

When it comes to Domboshava, I simply get emotional.

Domboshava is the land of my birth and upbringing. This is the land of my late father, born Ernest Gombera of Tamborenyoka village in Shumba ward 3.

Domboshava is the land of my late mother, born Pelagia Makumbe of Makumbe village in Mawanga ward 2. Domboshava is also the birth-place of my wife, born Susan Banyure of Banyure village near Denda shopping centre.

Therefore my whole life and kinship mainly revolves around this hallowed land. And regardless of where I am at that particular time; anything that happens or does not happen in this beloved place of my birth directly affects my psyche and my spirit.

But now our land has just been invaded by Chinese miners; yes, the notorious Chinese miners who have wreaked havoc across the entire country.

And the current entry by Chinese miners is not the first time. In 2020, a Chinese mining firm, Ahiua Jianye, came to mine quarry at Garimo in Domboshava but was forced to stall operations after residents resisted their presence.

This time, yet another Chinese mining firm was recently awarded a special Presidential mining licence for quarry mining at the mountain to the south-west of the iconic Domboshava training centre.

Now the Chinese miners have taken over and fenced off a whopping 225 hectares. The fenced-off area includes the entire open land to the left of the tarred road to the Training Centre as you drive from Mverechena shops.

Probably because of what happened before when a project of similar scope by yet another Chinese mining firm was resisted in 2020, the new Chinese miners did not this time prioritise engaging the community.

The consultation meeting with stakeholders was held late, just some 10 days ago, well after the mammoth project had commenced and the Chinese firm had already started fencing off the 225 hectares.

Notably, the total area to be fenced off and where equipment is already on site is far much bigger than the mountain site where the Chinese are supposed to do their quarry mining.

The place they have now fenced off includes even the three small dams in that vast open vlei, far away from the actual site of their quarry mine.

An insider at the mining company has told me they are actually planning to develop a shopping mall in that vast open area.

I am not sure if all those plans for a shopping mall are enshrined in the Presidential Special Mining Licence that they said they have when they addressed stakeholders at the Domboshava Training Centre at 11am on Thursday, 27 January 2025.

Well, as Domboshava residents we may welcome a shopping mall. But just like in other places in the country and across the rest of Africa where Chinese and other mining investors are excavating and shipping away rich mineral resources for a song and with no benefit to the surrounding area, we demand much more as benefits from this multi-million dollar project in our community.

So the Chinese miners had already fenced off the whole area when they met stakeholders last week, at which meeting they openly bragged about their special Presidential mining licence granted by Emmerson Mnangagwa.

At the meeting they were quick to remind stakeholders that they had a special Presidential Mining Licence.

It is highly likely Mnangagwa, his family and associates have been paid by these roving Chinese mining bandits that are all over the country flaunting his name and scouring for our vast mineral resources and causing serious environmental damage but at zero benefit to the communities in which they operate.

A comprehensive study of Chinese mining investments in Africa, Latin America and South-East Asia has shown that there needs to be serious improvement in the environmental, social and governance systems governing Chinese mining investments, including the guaranteed assurance of benefits to the communities in which they operate.

Now, Domboshava, my own beloved home area, is set to become the latest crime scene from these notorious Chinese mining investors.

For me, there are several problems with this Chinese mining project in my rural hood:

1. At the stakeholders meeting on 27 January 2025, the Chinese mining investors were so keen at every turn to remind the meeting that they had a special Presidential Mining Licence granted by Mnangagwa. They appeared to be invoking and flaunting Mnangagwa’s name at every turn so as to frighten the attendees such that they would not freely air their views about how this mammoth project would impact our community.

2. Yes they have a special mining licence granted by the authorities. But legality alone without morality and a sense of social responsibility is not enough. Currently, Domboshava road is in such a dire state and the government rehabilitation project of this important road has stalled. The Chinese mining investors appear not to have a cogent plan to assist in this important community project or any other community project as part of their social responsibility programme. In fact, at the meeting, they even said they were not ready to assist with constructing a science laboratory at Zimbiru Secondary school, which the residents had touted as a potential project for initial assistance.

3. As headman Murape told them at the meeting, the Chinese miners’ consultation with the residents happened late, well after the mammoth project had commenced and well after the Chinese had already started fencing off the 225 hectares, an area far much bigger than the mountain site where they are supposed to do their quarry mining.

4. Some of the trainees at Domboshava training Centre are undertaking Agriculture studies and the open land now taken over by the miners, far away from the actual mining site, was to be used for intensive agriculture by the students, according to officials from the Ministry of Lands who attended the stakeholders’ meeting. But that space for doing practical agriculture has now been taken over by these so-called Chinese investors.

5. Though they told the stakeholders they would consider employing locals in their project in the future, the project was supposed to absorb local labour force from the very outset. But then, even if they were to employ Domboshava residents, the other related concern is that across Africa and across Zimbabwe, these Chinese miners have a chequered history of exploiting and underpaying their workers. Some of these Chinese investors are currently at the courts, one of them facing a serious charge after pointing a gun to the head of an employee for simply demanding his pay.

Dear reader, kindly note that this is not the first time the Chinese have sought to do quarry mining in Domboshava.

In 2020, they were stopped by the vigilant residents and that could be the reason why this time they started by implementing their project first without engaging the community.

Indeed, on 6 May 2020, Domboshava residents became the first group of organised citizens in Zimbabwe to hold a public demonstration against Chinese miners when they stopped the mining operations at Garimo.

With placards emblazoned with the words “Leave our Domboshava”, the residents stopped a similar quarry mining project that would have negatively impacted on churches, heritage sites, burial sites as well as livelihoods.

In August 2021, Mnangagwa’s children accompanied by his niece, Henrietta Rushwaya pitched up at Pasipamire village in Shumba ward 3 and started pegging off certain areas, including the popular Gomo raGabhureni (Gabriel’s mountain) for what they thought was a gold treasure trove.

Their mining quest died a stillbirth as no such rich gold reserves were found.

Now they have come again to my rural hood at the Training centre. This time, the face of the invasion is ED’s sidekick Oppah Zvipage Rushesha Muchinguri Kashiri, who is also the Minister of Defence.

There is also yet another Chinese company inside Alphida barracks in Donboshava that is assisting the Zimbabwe National Army in making military ammo.

Our demand as Domboshava residents to the quarry miners is simple. We only demand a clear and agreed plan on how and what the community is set to benefit from this huge multi-million dollar mining project in our backyard.

It is trite to remind Mnangagwa who granted these people a special Presidential Mining licence that communities must benefit from these mammoth mining ventures that so often leave them poorer and saddled with a seriously damaged environment.

Meanwhile, Cry, my beloved Domboshava.

Luke Tamborinyoka is a citizen from Domboshava. He is by profession a journalist and a political scientist. You can interact with him via his facebook page or via his X handle @luke_tambo.