Mining boom is threatening Matebeleland rural communities

Rural communities across Matebeleland risk losing control of their land and livelihoods as mining activities expand, with residents having limited legal protection when their fields, homes and water sources are affected, Nkayi lawyer Richard Moyo Majwabu has warned.

Majwabu said Zimbabwe's legal framework gives the State control over mineral resources while providing communities with limited rights over minerals beneath the land they occupy.

Speaking during a virtual discussion organised by the Nkayi Community Parliament, he said the issue was particularly important in rural areas such as Nkayi, where communities rely heavily on agriculture and natural resources.

He noted that although independence expanded access to land, most rural Zimbabweans still do not have full private freehold title. Communal land remains vested in the President, while A1 farmers hold customary permits and A2 farmers operate under State-issued leases.

"The absence of transferable title deeds limits farmers' ability to use their land as collateral, invest with confidence and secure inheritance," Majwabu said.

He said the Mines and Minerals Act vests mineral rights in the State regardless of who owns or occupies the surface land.

"A landowner or communal land occupant has no automatic right to the minerals beneath their land," he said.

While the arrangement ensures that mineral resources remain national assets, Majwabu warned that it leaves rural communities vulnerable when mining disrupts agricultural fields, grazing areas, water sources and homesteads.

"Surface occupants can find their fields, wells and homesteads disrupted by miners with superior legal rights, often for compensation they see as inadequate," he said.

Majwabu said mining was increasingly competing with agriculture for rural land because minerals could generate foreign currency faster than most agricultural activities.

He warned that the expansion of mining had contributed to displacement, environmental degradation, social conflict and a shift of rural labour from farming into artisanal mining.

"Some rural households have shifted labour and youth away from farming into artisanal mining, chasing faster, if riskier, income—with knock-on effects for food security and school attendance," he said.

However, he said mining and agriculture did not necessarily have to compete, arguing that properly managed mining could create employment, business opportunities and infrastructure for rural communities.

"The honest message is that this is not a contest either sector needs to ‘win' outright—the real policy failure is the absence of effective land-use planning and community-benefit mechanisms that would let both coexist," Majwabu said.

He called for an enforceable requirement for prior community consultation and free, prior and informed consent before prospecting or pegging takes place on occupied communal or resettlement land.

He also proposed minimum compensation benchmarks and a transparent public register showing holders of prospecting and mining rights.

Majwabu further raised concern over rural residents investing heavily in homes on land without title deeds, saying such investments remained vulnerable and had no formal collateral value.

He urged communities to secure all available documentation, including written land allocation records and permits, to strengthen their position in disputes.

Former Tsholotsho legislator Maxwell Dube said rural communities needed greater recognition and involvement in decisions concerning mineral resources found in their areas.

"Even the communities must be recognised by the government," Dube said, questioning whether local communities were benefiting adequately from mineral wealth extracted from their areas.

The discussion comes amid reports from Bubi District, where villagers have alleged that miners from Mashonaland invaded Gududu Village 12 and chased locals away from a gold mining site.

Villager Bongani Ncube claimed the miners had taken over the area, refilled pits dug by community members and fenced off the site.

"When I confronted them, they called someone who introduced himself as a soldier," Ncube said.

He said armed police officers later visited his home, leaving him fearful of possible attacks.

Matebeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard Moyo said he was not yet aware of the reported dispute.

"I think they must report to the police and the Ministry of Mines. These could be criminal people who, upon hearing about a gold rush, pounce on the area to start pegging and abusing the communities," Moyo said.

Majwabu said communities should demand meaningful consultation before mining decisions are made rather than only seeking compensation after their land and livelihoods have already been affected.