The Magistrates Court in Mutoko has ordered Chinese miner Labenmon Investments to vacate four villages in Mutoko after it emerged the firm had started operations without following due process, NewsDay has learnt.
The villagers, led by headman Mbudzi, recently approached Zimbabwe lawyers for human rights (ZLHR) for legal assistance to stop Labenmon from prospecting for granite after the Chinese company had pegged 150ha of land.
“Chinese miners have been ordered off the villagers' land by the magistrate, at Mutoko magistrate court. ZLHR successfully proved that the miners had not followed due process. They did not obtain a valid environment impact assessment certificate,” ZLHR said in a statement.
“No consultations with affected stakeholders were carried out as required by the law amongst other issues.”
