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ZCDC to sue contractor over failed borehole project
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The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) is preparing to take legal action against Diamond Base Company, a contractor hired to drill 20 boreholes in Chiadzwa, after the US$100,000 project failed to deliver operational water points, the Zimbabwe Independent has established.
The state-owned mining firm commissioned the borehole project last year as part of its corporate social responsibility obligations to the Chiadzwa community. While drilling work was reportedly completed, most of the installations remain non-functional, sparking outrage among villagers and prompting ZCDC to pursue litigation.
"The contractor did not deliver the desired results. ZCDC engaged them and sent them a letter of demand for them to finish the work. ZCDC will take the legal route," a company spokesperson confirmed.
The spokesperson emphasised that the borehole project was part of ZCDC's broader development initiatives being carried out in partnership with the Chiadzwa Community Share Ownership Trust (CCSOT), which oversees community beneficiation projects.
"The project is one of the CCSOT projects funded by ZCDC," the spokesperson said.
Each borehole was drilled at an estimated cost of US$2,125, and the contract, according to ZCDC, was awarded in accordance with public procurement regulations. However, the failure to deliver fully functional water points has raised questions about contractor competence, oversight, and accountability in the project's implementation.
Efforts to obtain comment from Diamond Base Company were unsuccessful at the time of going to print.
The looming legal battle underscores growing tensions between mining companies and local communities over promised development projects. For Chiadzwa residents, who have long decried lack of access to clean water despite living in one of the country's richest diamond fields, the borehole failure is seen as yet another broken promise.
The state-owned mining firm commissioned the borehole project last year as part of its corporate social responsibility obligations to the Chiadzwa community. While drilling work was reportedly completed, most of the installations remain non-functional, sparking outrage among villagers and prompting ZCDC to pursue litigation.
"The contractor did not deliver the desired results. ZCDC engaged them and sent them a letter of demand for them to finish the work. ZCDC will take the legal route," a company spokesperson confirmed.
The spokesperson emphasised that the borehole project was part of ZCDC's broader development initiatives being carried out in partnership with the Chiadzwa Community Share Ownership Trust (CCSOT), which oversees community beneficiation projects.
Each borehole was drilled at an estimated cost of US$2,125, and the contract, according to ZCDC, was awarded in accordance with public procurement regulations. However, the failure to deliver fully functional water points has raised questions about contractor competence, oversight, and accountability in the project's implementation.
Efforts to obtain comment from Diamond Base Company were unsuccessful at the time of going to print.
The looming legal battle underscores growing tensions between mining companies and local communities over promised development projects. For Chiadzwa residents, who have long decried lack of access to clean water despite living in one of the country's richest diamond fields, the borehole failure is seen as yet another broken promise.
Source - The Independent
