HWANGE Rural District Council chairperson Pasca Mpofu says his team’s immediate task is to engage mining companies and compel them to plough back resources to their communities in order to foster development.
Mpofu told Southern Eye that residents have been short-changed by the mining companies for over two decades, and now is time to remedy the situation.
“These mining companies have continued to damage our roads for over 20 years without maintaining them. We will continue knocking on their doors until they compensate us, we need them to practise corporate social responsibility, we need money to fix our roads, build schools. We have already started constructing schools to cut distances from one school to another particularly to cater for our infantry classes,’’ Mpofu said.
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Richard Moyo said he was seized with the reports.
“We have tried to engage these companies, but we have been facing challenges in terms of language barrier. We have been engaging the provincial leadership, but now we will reschedule the meetings and engage the owners of the companies who are based in Harare so that they bring interpreters to the ground,’’ Moyo said
Meanwhile, mining companies operating in Hwange district have been blasted for polluting the Deka River.
Galpex, which transports coal to Hwange Power Station, uses the Deka Road and a 6km stretch of the road is severely damaged. Zambezi Gas and Makomo Resources use the Sinamatella Road to ferry coal to the power station. As a result of these activities, there is heavy air pollution in the area.
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