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ONE of China’s leading chrome mining
companies operating in Zimbabwe has abandoned its lucrative asset at Lalapanzi
near Mvuma, after clashing with authorities over violations of environmental
policies, the Zimbabwe Independent can reveal.
Gift Karanda, a businessman who was a local
agent for SQNeed Chrome Zimbabwe, confirmed this week that the firm moved out
of the chrome fields in the area, which it got from ZimAlloys in 2015.
“SQNeed closed office last year,” Karanda
said in response to questions.
The firm moved to the claims after
ZimAlloys was directed by government to cede about half of its claims.
While Karanda was not at liberty to disclose why SQNeed Chrome Zimbabwe left, government officials with knowledge of the developments confirmed that there were disagreements over environmental policy violations.
“The miner has been in constant clashes
with the community over various environmental issues,” a source close to the
developments said.
“But it is unfortunate that after all these
years of destroying the environment, they just closed their office and are no
longer operating.”
Lalapanzi straddles the Great Dyke, a
mineral-rich geological formation that runs from the northeast of Zimbabwe to
the southwest. Built around the chromium mining business, the largest mines in
the area were operated by Lonrho (London Rhodesia Company) before independence.
Environmental Management Agency (Ema)
spokesperson Amkela Sidanke promised to revert with a response, but had not
done so by yesterday.
Midlands Provincial Mining director Tariro
Ndlovu had also not responded by yesterday.
SQNeed Chrome Zimbabwe’s case is one of
several in which there have been reports of environmental degradation in the
Great Dyke involving Chinese firms.
These reports have been confirmed by Ema.
A recent investigation by the Independent
in Darwendale, Mashonaland West revealed that several Chinese chrome mining
operations have since encroached on Cold Storage Company’s farming operations.
There has been massive land destruction in
Darwendale where dangerous mining pits were left uncovered, exposing people and
animals to danger.
Reports this week linked the firm to
Tsingshan Iron and Steel Group, which is currently spearheading the
construction of a billion-dollar stainless steel plant in the Midlands
Province.
Another Chinese firm linked to the
Tsingshan Group, Afrochine has also been accused of fueling environmental
degradation in the Great Dyke.
Afrochine company secretary Wilfred Motsi
told the Independent the chrome processing firm was going to be tough on miners
not following proper mining regulations.
“If these tributary miners are doing
irresponsible mining, we won't engage them anymore and we will liaise with the
Environmental Management Agency to penalise them,” Motsi said.
“Others lie in the name of Afrochine. We
are a responsible company.”
When quizzed over the company’s links with
SQNeed, he said: “Those are people who falsely claim that they work with
Afrochine. There are liars out there.”
Ema this year told the Independent that it
was going to punish chrome miners along the northern parts of the Great Dyke
for failing to reclaim and rehabilitate mines, posing a grave danger to human
beings and animals.
Several mining claims have been abandoned
on cattle farms around the Darwendale Dam.
The abandoned pits have since been
reclaimed by unregistered artisanal miners.
Ema provincial manager for Mashonaland West
province Rambwayi Mapako said in an interview recently the agency had since
prioritised rehabilitation of damaged land.
“Land degradation has become one of the
greatest issues over the past years, especially along the Great Dyke range
because it is a huge mineral reserve,” he said.
“Although all mining companies are
subjected to the Environmental Impact Assessment process not all of them have
been seeing this through.
“This has resulted in the majority of land
being left un-rehabilitated. Some major players implicated in land degradation,
especially along the Great Dyke, are Afrochine, Zimasco and ZimAlloys.
“Their operations are under monitoring by
Ema and they are subject to prosecutions and environmental protection orders,”
Mapako said.
He said some of the unrehabilitated chrome
mines along the Great Dyke could not be accounted for.