Source: Court halts Magunje mega cement project – The Standard
THE High Court has ordered a Chinese cement manufacturing company to stop its operations in Magunje, Hurungwe in Mashonaland West after being found guilty for contempt of a court order.
Villagers with the assistance of Tinashe Chinopfukutwa and Kelvin Kabaya of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights filed an application for contempt of court against the Chinese Lebanmon Investments Company.
The villagers represented by Gift Kapere and Jonathan Chimufombo cited Lebanmon Investments and its representative Daniel Mlalazi as respondents in the matter.
They are seeking an order directing the Chinese company to stop setting up the cement manufacturing plant on their farming and grazing lands.
They approached the High Court after allegedly getting no joy from the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Ministry of Local Government, among other government agencies.
In February, High Court judge Justice Philda Muzofa ordered the company to stop further commencement works at Wih-Zim Construction Material Investments cement manufacturing plant pending the outcome of investigations by EMA.
In her latest ruling, Muzofa also slapped the Chinese firm with a US$3000 fine for contempt.
“The first and second respondent be and are hereby found to be in contempt of this court’s provisional order issued on the 4th of February under case number HCCC15/25,” the court ruling issued on October 1 read.
“The first and second respondent be and are hereby ordered to stop all works at the Wih-Zim Construction material investments cement manufacturing plant in Magunje, Hurungwe…
“The first and the second respondent is hereby sentenced to 30 days improvement wholly suspended on condition that the second respondent ensures that the first respondent complies with this order.”
In August, EMA fined the cement maker US$5 000 for failing to comply with the conditions set in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate.
The EIA certificate issued by EMA requires that no project activities proceed until all affected individuals are compensated and relocated, as outlined in its special conditions.
EMA is a statutory body responsible for ensuring the sustainable management of natural resources and protection of the environment.
In their court application, the villagers said they were never consulted and learnt of the developments after the company descended in the area in December 2023 and fenced off vast tracts of land.
In October last year, the villages appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture Mechanisation and Irrigation, voicing their concerns over the cement manufacturing plant.
The issue has also divided Zanu PF leadership, with factions forming over the project’s future.
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