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MARANGE NEWS CCDT, 34 Ferreday Drive, Eastlea, Harare 0773 642 937/0773 869 282

Mutsago Shopping Centre Marange, Mutare

chiadzwa.ccdt@yahoo.com

Community’s struggle against economic exclusion and human rights violations

Chiadzwa is located in the remote district of Mutare Rural District in Marange Communal lands under Chief arrange in the eastern province of Manicaland in Zimbabwe. The area is located 60km south west of the Eastern Border City of Mutare. It is inhabited by the Bocha people.

The following statements summarize CCDT’S standard code of conduct and ethics;

ü We see our efforts as a means for Chiadzwa community to solve their problems by themselves.

ü We act in solidarity with the goals and aspirations of Chiadzwa community.

ü We exercise and promote fairness, impartiality and equity in all of our activities and in our dealings with interested parties, partners and the community at large.

ü We act truthfully and refrain from practices that undermine the moral and ethical integrity of our organization.

ü We are transparent and accountable in all our dealings with the community, government, donors and other interested parties.

ü We conform to the constitution, law, rules and regulations of Zimbabwe.

ü We strive to maintain our autonomy and resist conditional ties that may compromise our mission and principles.

Our Mission

To contribute towards tenure security rights, environmental protection and community economic empowerment through lobbying, advocacy and knowledge sharing.

Chiadzwa Community Development Trust (CCDT) is a Zimbabwean registered trust which was formed on the 30th June 2009 under Deed of Trust number MA405/2009. The Trust was formed by Chiadzwa community members following realization that the ongoing diamond mining activities in the area are:

§ Not economically empowering the local community

§ Posing tenure security threat and human rights violations to the locals

§ Causing irreversible environmental harm

CCDT was formed with the objective of ensuring environmental sustainability; safe guarding the economic interest and tenure security of the community; and protect the community against human rights violations.

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OUR ACTIVITIES 1. Training and Education Workshops

Community Human Rights Monitors during a training session at Mountview Hotel, Mutare on Friday 10 February 2012 Community Monitors were trained: ü To observe and analyse the overall situation to be able to put human rights violations in a historical, political,

economic and social context. ü To conduct fact-finding through interviews and using other sources of information to gather information about

specific cases of human rights violations. ü To document and cross-check all the information and writing it down in a systematic order, they will find out

WHO did WHAT TO WHO? WHEN, WHERE and HOW was it done? ü To assist survivors of human rights violations report the cases and seek legal recourse. ü To build a network of reliable people who will provide the monitors with information about the human rights

situation and about specific cases or incidents. ü To systematically record and store the information about specific cases. The monitors should identify certain

patterns in violations of human rights. The monitors are going to train the community in human rights issues and monitoring but in the mean-time remember the 5Ws 1H, WHO did WHAT TO WHO? WHEN, WHERE and HOW was it done? and document!!

Some of the Rights discussed at the workshop All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation. No one shall be held in slavery; slavery and the slave-trade in all their forms shall be prohibited. No one shall be held in servitude. No one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour; Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law. Anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for his arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges against him. All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference. The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with others The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

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Tea-break during Mountview Workshop, From left: Tichafa Muchisi, Chemusaita Tasweranadzo & Susan Marange.

Group Work during training, Participants asked to identify Human Rights violations that are taking place within the community

Some of the Rights Violations Identified During Workshop

û The police and private security guards just instruct suspects to accompany them to the police base without giving reasons.

û Private guards and police beat up suspects and demand that suspected illegal diamond dealers and trespassers beat each other thoroughly and release suspects without a charge.

û Some Traditional leaders police people’s homestead. They question visitors that visit community homesteads.

û Some Traditional leaders ask community to pay admission of guilt (marime) and court fees (vuramuromo) before hearing.

û Some churches strip members of their positions because of political affiliation

û Politicizing of Food aid

DOCUMENT ALL ABUSES!!!!

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2. Community Outreach

Hon Shuah Mudiwa chats with Austin “Mutsege” Muchisi of Ward 18

Muchisi Village, Marange

Venda “Professor” Mapuka of Ward 18, Muchisi village, Marange. Venda is an ex-teacher and he earned the nickname “Professor” for being very analytical

Issues from Ward 18 community û Unfair distribution of food aid, some names are removed from the list of food aid beneficiaries without explanation. û Mining companies not employing local people. û Community wants investment in the area û Relocation is destroying the extended family unit and authorities should be sensitive to community’s cultural

values. û Moral values are being destroyed by the influx of people who are coming to work in the mines. û Prostitution and other sexual offences are on the increase in the area, community thinks this is as a result of

poverty and an increase in the number of people coming to work in the mines without their families. Most people think that social ills can be reduced by employing local people whose families reside in the area.

Austin says, “There is no food. Everything has been destroyed by the heat. These youths are loitering, there are no jobs, the mines are not employing them. We heard government is not employing them also. If only they would give jobs to our children, they will look after us. Now we are bruised all sides, drought and unemployment. If we have rainfall, we can work but you know Bocha, the rains are erratic. We are just praying that something happens and no-one dies of hunger. You know what…our children are going to curse for allowing foreigners to take our wealth. We have to do something and stop this.”

Venda is saying, I wonder why they are not investing the proceeds from diamonds here in Marange. It is better if they invest in another place in Manicaland. Why is it that all investment should go to Harare? The companies even employ from Harare. We now have a lot of people from all over Zimbabwe and beyond, here in Marange. Very soon the Bocha language, customs and culture would be diluted and eventually the Bocha way of life would disappear altogether. Some have already gone to Arda, and are now among the Jindwi people. People should be resettled as they are, they should take the whole headmanship not to relocate people in a way that breaks family ties.

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Ward 18 Marange.

3. Focus Groups

Some of the villagers in Ward 19, Hobvu Village in Marange receive updates on the Constitution making process.

The main road that links Ward 18 and Ward 19 in Marange

This notice was put in 2007 after the discovery of diamond which led to around 30 000 people coming into the area in search of fortunes. This resulted in overcrowding, increase in criminal activities and other social ills. There was gross land degradation due to illegal mining activities. Around 1 500 police and army details were deported into the area in order to bring sanity into the area. This resulted in numerous reports of human rights violation by the security forces.

The issue of the state of the roads in Marange is of grave concern to the community. The tarred road ends in Ward 18 from the main road. All the other roads in Chiadzwa are dust roads. The dust affects the community due to the increase in traffic from the mines. As one nears the diamond fields, one would easily assume that the trees in Marange all have brown leaves. The community expects the diamond mining companies to put tarred roads as their heavy vehicles have worsened the state of the roads

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Even small grains did not survive this season’s drought in Marange

4. Community Meetings

Chipindirwe Primary School is in Ward 30 which forms part of the diamond fields. Entry into Chipindirwe is very restricted. Only the local community is allowed into this area. Families in this area are awaiting relocation.

CCDT urges all survivors of Human Rights Violations to report all unresolved cases to your local monitors or CCDT

The soil in Marange is sand soil that is characterised by high

infiltration capacity because of its large particles. This type of soil

cannot contain nutrients making it difficult for any crop to survive.

Sand soil is common in arid regions where there is low

rainfall.

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A river in Chipindirwe that has been affected by illegal diamond panning activities

Volunteers making food for the Chipindirwe community meeting participants

Highlights of the Chipindirwe Meeting Headman Chiadzwa (represented), Headman Chipindirwe (represented) and Headman Mukwada attended the meeting to discuss the issue of the extension of the diamond area. Among them was the Cllr of the affected ward Cllr Kusena and Hon. Shuah Mudiwa. Representatives from other sections of the community also attended the meeting. The community queried to the Headmen and the Hon Member of Parliament why they were not informed of the extension of the diamond area. All leaders echoed the same sentiments, that they were also not informed. After deliberations, the community resolved that: û They are not going to Arda Transsau before compensation, now that the mines are now selling their

diamonds, there is no excuse for not paying compensation. û Their properties should be evaluated by independent evaluators in order to determine fair compensation. û The relevant authorities should be informed about the drawing of water by one of the mines from the Betera

community Dam. The community was not informed of the developments and would like to understand why water should be drawn from their dam when the company has a water pipeline to draw water from Odzi river.

The traditional leaders acknowledged that some traditional leaders are ripping off job-seekers by asking them to pay a beast or U300,00 in order to get a job in the mines. However, the community was happy to learn that one of the culprits was taken by the Mutare Police for questioning on that issue.

During the 2006-2008 diamond rush there was a lot of siltation of rivers and dams in the Marange area due to diamond panning. So far nothing has been done about the siltation. There is need for environmental rehabilitation in most parts of Marange. The community’s efforts to scoop the rivers was turned down because the river falls in the diamond area.

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Part of the crowd that attended the community meeting held at Chipindirwe Primary School The Youths in Ward 18 and 19 have taken it upon themselves to repair the road that links the two Wards. The community of Marange has formed a drama group that expresses their experiences in Marange before and during the diamond mining era. Some villagers have vowed not to be relocated without compensation, the mining companies have now opened up to discuss their compensation after more than 6 months of resisting relocation. Human Right Violators were named and shamed at Hobvu Business Centre in Ward 19 during a focus group meeting. 3 of the perpetrators just left quietly while 1 tried to argue his innocence. The community of Marange is celebrating the arrest of one of the corrupt traditional leaders on allegations of taking bribes from job seekers. CCDT and the Marange Community condemns the beatings of job seekers by private security guards from one mining company, and the taking over of a community dam by the same mining company.

Chiadzwa Community Development Trust would like to express its profound gratitude to Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), donors and other organisations for their continued support to CCDT and the Marange Community at large in their struggle to claim their rights.

Information compiled by Melanie Chiponda CCDT board and membership would like to thank all volunteers, monitors and the Marange community for making the Marange News possible. We appreciate the community for allowing us to use the information, photographs and videos taken during our visits, meetings and other activities in Marange. We further commend the increase in women’s and girls’ involvement in Human Rights and other community issues.