Source: Chinese miner exhumes, reburies 22 in Buhera -Newsday Zimbabwe
CHINESE-OWNED Max Mind Investments, operators of Sabi Star Mine in Buhera, has exhumed and reburied 22 bodies under official supervision, the company has said.
In a statement, Max Mind Investments said it was “concerned by a false and malicious post” made on social media platform X on October 27 by human rights activist Farai Maguwu, who alleged that the company had used excavators to dig up graves at the mine site.
Last month, Maguwu alleged on X that Sabi Star was using excavators to exhume the remains.
“These were laid to rest with love and care in Buhera by hundreds of people, but exhumed by the Chinese [Sabi Star] using excavators and dumped here. Since this mining madness started, more than 10 000 graves have been desecrated countrywide,” he wrote.
The Chinese miner said the exhumations were done legally and respectfully, with the involvement of families, traditional leaders and Buhera district authorities.
“In total, 22 bodies were exhumed and reburied — five in 2022 and 17 in 2023 — in full compliance with Zimbabwean law and traditional protocols,” company spokesperson Emmerson Njanjamangezi said in the statement.
“All reburials were professionally conducted by a local funeral services company, with each family receiving compensation and full coverage of funeral and traditional expenses.”
He said the affected families had consented to the relocations to make way for mining operations and that the remaining burial sites within the mine area were fenced off and left undisturbed.
Max Mind added that it remained committed to transparency and continued engagement with the local community.
“Our offices and community liaison team remain available to provide accurate information and respond to media queries,” Njanjamangezi said.
The Sabi Star lithium project, one of the major Chinese mining investments in Manicaland, has faced scrutiny over environmental and social impacts, with activists urging greater oversight of foreign mining operations in rural communities.
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