Families were evicted largely to pave way for a new weir, and some of those that remained have lost their farmland
Rutendo Chirume
The eviction of several families in Makombo area of Bikita West to allow Bikita Minerals to build a weir and a processing plant near Mukonde Village has shattered the lives of many families that now wallow in deeper poverty than before.
The Makombo community has a total of nine villages which have all been affected by the developments.
Through the Land Reform Programme which began in year 2000, the affected families were settled in what Bikita Minerals would later claim to be part of its lease area.
“Our home as a family was completely destroyed, and we were given US$1000 as compensation and they promised to employ at least one family member. But this did not happen. The compensation that I received was not enough for me to rebuild a similar home as I had before,” said John Muringa who now resides in Chikukutu Village.
He said he required US$500 to build one thatched kitchen, and this means the US$1000 his family received as compensation could not do much for him.
Before his relocation, Muringa and his family lived in Mukonde Village where many other families were affected.
“We took the compensation and found a new piece of land in Chikukutu Village where conditions are not the same. More than 10 families agreed to look for new a settlement, and there are others who initially refused to move but we hear their situation is worse than ours,” he said.
Tambudzai Mutyasira (35) who lived on the old George Nollen Farm, said she lost six hectares of land when the mine evicted her to pave way for the construction of the weir which now supplies water to the mine’s ore processing plant.
“We not never given any notice. We just woke up one day and there were earth moving vehicles digging up our fields to pave way for the weir.
“We did not only lose our fields but our source of water too. Currently, people are harvesting rainwater to drink and it will be much more difficult after the rainy season,” said Mutyasira.
She told EnviroPress that she was herself was now employed as a maid by a family whose breadwinner works for the mining company.
A Bikita Minerals employee who requested anonomity told Enviropress Press that a total of nine families were removed from George Nollen Farm.
“I know about 20 families that lived there before the Chinese took over the mine in 2022, and four of those were forced to relocate because their homes stood in the way of construction. The remaining five were not evicted but their farmland is gone so they have no place to grow crops,” said the source.
To make things worse, the mining company has dug deep trenches to prevent villagers from crossing over to the mine’s leased area.

Other victims of the displacements told EnviroPress that they now lived in worse poverty than before, and that they faced increased food insecurity.
In an interview, Chief Marozva of Bikita acknowledged that the compensation deal offered to victims was not implemented in full.
“We were part of the negotiations for peaceful agreement between the affected villagers and the mine. Some individuals lost their fields, some were even relocated, and there are those that are yet to be compensated,” said Chief Marozva, whose real name is Ishmael Mudhe.
“We acknowledge that the mine has brought some development, but they are yet to fulfil their promises to the local people.
“The youths were promised jobs but only a handful were picked. The mine promised a lot of development but only few boreholes were constructed. The road which they promised to build between the mine and Gutu via Nyika is not yet finished. The deal was half met but we are still expectant,” said Marozva
Bikita Residents and Ratepayers Association (BRRA) secretary general Brilliant Mukaro said sustainable development would not dispossess local people.
“They promised several developments to the people in Makombo community but, many of the people there are even poorer than before because they have lost their fields. Those that were evicted were not treated fairly and their social conditions are very bad,” said Mukaro.
He urged the mining company to make good of its promises, and to explore new ways of uplifting local communities.
Through its Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) (ESF, 2016), the World Bank recognises that different forms of land acquisition, and restrictions to land use and resettlement can have adverse impacts on communities.
Thus, physical, economic and cultural displacements, if unmitigated, can induce impoverishment risks.