03/07/2025
Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) has raised a red flag over what it describes as a spiralling crisis in Magunje, Mashonaland West Province where a US$1 billion cement and mining project is allegedly fuelling human rights violations, environmental degradation, and forced displacements.
In a statement the Organization called on the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to immediately intervene and suspend Labenmon Investments’ operations.
The company, working in partnership with China-based West International Holding, is behind the development of a high-capacity cement plant expected to produce 900,000 tonnes of cement and 1.8 million tonnes of clinker.
While touted as a flagship investment that could create 5,000 jobs and spur local development, CNRG warns the project is trampling on the rights of local communities.
The organisation revealed disturbing findings from its visit to the area, including unlawful land takeovers, desecration of ancestral graves, and intimidation of villagers and civil society actors.
“Communities in Chasara and Kapere are not standing in the way of development, they are demanding that development respect their rights, heritage, and humanity.
The Magunje case is a clear warning that Zimbabwe’s extractive boom risks becoming a new form of dispossession unless the government steps in decisively to protect its citizens.
One of the most alarming allegations involves the displacement of entire families without compensation or due process.
Communities report being forcefully removed from their ancestral lands, with no redress mechanisms provided, and graves of loved ones desecrated in the wake of mining developments.
Equally concerning are reports of fraudulent consultations. Legally required village-level dialogues were allegedly bypassed, and affected communities were excluded from critical decision-making processes.
A cancelled ward meeting, which failed to secure local input, is now being misrepresented as the basis for community consent.
The use of intimidation has also surfaced as a troubling pattern. Eight villagers from Kapere, including the local Headman, were arrested for standing up against the mining project and continue to be summoned to court despite the complainants failing to appear.
In a separate incident, CNRG staff members faced threats from armed Zimbabwe National Army personnel while conducting an inspection in Kemapondo village.
Environmental degradation is another pressing issue. Magunje Dam, a lifeline for thousands of residents, is reportedly being polluted by toxic effluent from the cement plant.
Further, fires sparked during land clearing exercises by the company have razed farmlands and gardens, exacerbating food insecurity in the region.
Serious labour violations have been documented. Workers allegedly toil under dangerous conditions, face political discrimination, and are subjected to wages below the National Employment Council’s agreed rates.
Many are employed without formal contracts.
These concerns have prompted the Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) to escalate the matter to the Labour Court, seeking redress and accountability.
CNRG has also claimed that one of Zimbabwe’s Vice Presidents wrote a letter to local authorities endorsing the project without prior engagement with affected communities.
CNRG noted:
These abuses are not isolated. They reflect a wider pattern of corporate impunity, enabled by weak regulatory oversight and elite collusion.
The use of fear and repression and criminal abuse of office by senior government officials when advancing their narrow, partisan interests is causing distress among rural communities throughout Zimbabwe.
The advocacy group is demanding the immediate publication of all environmental impact assessments, permits, and land allocation records tied to the project.
It is also urging the government to compensate displaced families, protect workers’ rights, and halt all threats against whistleblowers and community defenders.
