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Court halts Zimbabwe mega cement project
2 hrs ago |
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The High Court has ordered Lebanmon Investments Company, a Chinese cement manufacturer, to immediately cease all operations in Magunje, Hurungwe, Mashonaland West, after finding the firm in contempt of a court order.
The legal action was brought by local villagers with assistance from Tinashe Chinopfukutwa and Kelvin Kabaya of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR). Represented in court by Gift Kapere and Jonathan Chimufombo, the villagers sought to prevent the company from establishing a cement manufacturing plant on their farming and grazing lands.
The dispute traces back to a February ruling by High Court judge Justice Philda Muzofa, who issued a provisional order stopping any construction at the Wih-Zim Construction Material Investments site pending investigations by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA). In her latest ruling, issued on October 1, Justice Muzofa found both the company and its representative, Daniel Mlalazi, in contempt of the February order and imposed a US$3,000 fine.
The court instructed that the company immediately halt all work at the cement plant. Justice Muzofa also imposed a 30-day suspended sentence on the representative, conditional on ensuring the company's compliance with the court order.
The EMA had earlier fined the company US$5,000 for failing to comply with conditions outlined in its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate, which requires that no project activities proceed until all affected individuals are compensated and relocated. Villagers said they were never consulted about the project and only became aware of it in December 2023, when the company fenced off large areas of their land. In October 2024, the communities presented their concerns before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture Mechanisation, and Irrigation.
The case has also exposed divisions within Zanu-PF leadership, with factions forming over the future of the cement project, highlighting the political sensitivities surrounding foreign investment and land use in rural Zimbabwe. The High Court ruling reinforces that companies must respect court orders and environmental regulations while ensuring affected communities are consulted and adequately compensated before commencing major projects.
The legal action was brought by local villagers with assistance from Tinashe Chinopfukutwa and Kelvin Kabaya of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR). Represented in court by Gift Kapere and Jonathan Chimufombo, the villagers sought to prevent the company from establishing a cement manufacturing plant on their farming and grazing lands.
The dispute traces back to a February ruling by High Court judge Justice Philda Muzofa, who issued a provisional order stopping any construction at the Wih-Zim Construction Material Investments site pending investigations by the Environmental Management Authority (EMA). In her latest ruling, issued on October 1, Justice Muzofa found both the company and its representative, Daniel Mlalazi, in contempt of the February order and imposed a US$3,000 fine.
The court instructed that the company immediately halt all work at the cement plant. Justice Muzofa also imposed a 30-day suspended sentence on the representative, conditional on ensuring the company's compliance with the court order.
The EMA had earlier fined the company US$5,000 for failing to comply with conditions outlined in its Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate, which requires that no project activities proceed until all affected individuals are compensated and relocated. Villagers said they were never consulted about the project and only became aware of it in December 2023, when the company fenced off large areas of their land. In October 2024, the communities presented their concerns before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture Mechanisation, and Irrigation.
The case has also exposed divisions within Zanu-PF leadership, with factions forming over the future of the cement project, highlighting the political sensitivities surrounding foreign investment and land use in rural Zimbabwe. The High Court ruling reinforces that companies must respect court orders and environmental regulations while ensuring affected communities are consulted and adequately compensated before commencing major projects.
Source - the standard
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