In this podcast, Bikita District Ward 11 Councillor Lawrence Vhovha sets the record straight on Bikita Minerals’ role in both community development and community problems.
He exposes what he calls misleading claims by Bikita Minerals over construction of Shumbaimwe Clinic and non-existent boreholes. He explains how the clinic was partly funded by Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and the community’s plough back scheme, not the mining giant as claimed. While the mining company has played a role in improving infrastructure, it tends to exaggerate that role. Rather, the mining company’s operations have resulted in environmental damage, cracked houses and at buildings at public facilities including schools, and heavily damaged unpaved roads. The company severely restricts movement through its premises by villagers, and they now have to walk longer distances to places that used to be easily accessible.
