Five villagers from Diki in Hwange Rural District have been arrested after protesting against Chinese-owned ZhongJin Heli Energy, which they accuse of attempting to extract water from Kolepe Dam without consulting the community.
The five, four women and one man, were named by their lawyer, Thulani Nkala of Dube and Nkala Legal Practitioners, as Chentani Mathe, Definite Munsaka, Simangele Singa, Linnet Zulu and Likhwa Nyathi. They are expected to appear in court.
Sources close to the matter said the company has already constructed a pipeline designed to draw water from the dam. In return, ZhongJin Heli Energy allegedly proposed to fence the community irrigation scheme and provide it with a centre pivot.
Ward councillor Wonder Ncube confirmed the matter, revealing that he and some villagers had previously been arrested over the dispute.
“This issue has been happening for a while. As the councillor of the area, I have been going with the people, we were once arrested for that issue. In these past days I have been attending other community issues, I heard that people were arrested yesterday, as we speak six of them are in cells, but I haven’t gone there yet,” he said.
He added that villagers fear the project will worsen water shortages.
“There is a dam supporting Lukosi irrigation scheme which has 73 farmers, they are also doing command agriculture. The issue is that they are saying the water is little for them to share with the Chinese company doing thermal power station. The challenge is that this company is saying they paid money to Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA), who is saying is the owner of the water, so the irrigation scheme is also buying water from ZINWA.”
Ncube said the community believes ZINWA’s decision is unfair.
“Now Diki community is saying the dam is theirs, they are the ones who built it. They are saying what ZINWA is doing is unfair because the water is little. They are saying they have not been utilizing the other side because there is little water for the past years and now ZINWA coming in to say the water is enough to supply the irrigation scheme and the industry.”
He warned that diverting water to the company would threaten livelihoods.
“As a councillor I am saying this is unfair because this irrigation has been the people’s livelihood. If this dam dries up, people are going to suffer. I have been to the dam and there is indeed little water,” he said.
Hwange District Residents Association chairperson, Herbert Ncube, also condemned the company’s actions.
“Now the Chinese came over, they didn’t make an arrangement for themselves, the dam is actually for the community. The Chinese are now encroaching, we don’t know who is politically giving them that power, but what I know for a fact is that there are certain individuals who have been involved and we are told money exchanged hands,” he said.
“The incident is unacceptable and this is actually undermining the gains that the community have benefitted from what government had done for them and why should the Chinese have an upper hand over our communities. We don’t like it, we are not happy and we are not impressed by this,” he added.
Some sources alleged Hwange Local Board chairperson, Peterson Ncube, was facilitating the company’s access to the community. When contacted, he dismissed the claims as “highly misplaced and malicious.”
Diki Village Head, Joseph Change, said ZhongJin Heli Energy sought water from the government and ZINWA, which approved the request.
“There was a meeting and the Minister (Richard Moyo) was there, ZINWA said there is enough water to supply the irrigation and the Chinese. It was agreed during the meeting,” he said.
Change said while pipes were being laid, villagers resisted and called the police.
“But there is an agreement and a contract signed by ZINWA and the Chinese,” he said, adding that the meeting had been attended by the Minister, the District Development Coordinator’s office, headmen, farmers, ZINWA and the President’s Office.
“People were arrested yesterday, there is nothing I can say. During the meeting people didn’t say anything since the Minister chaired the meeting and said this should be there since ZINWA said there is enough water. Although the farmers didn’t want, during the meeting no one complained maybe out of respect for the Minister or fear, you may never know. But when they were outside they were complaining that the dam will run dry, their plants will die,” he said.
ZINWA had not responded to emailed questions by the time of publication.
Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Glory Banda referred queries to Hwange Rural District Council, saying they were “better placed to confirm.”
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