Mberengwa chiefs, communities applaud Sandawana Lithium for honouring culture and human dignity in relocation

SANDAWANA, MBERENGWA - Traditional leaders and communities in Mberengwa have commended Mutapa Energy Resources, the operator of Sandawana Lithium Mine, for what they describe as a consultative and culturally sensitive approach to the relocation of families and the exhumation and reburial of graves affected by the lithium mining project.

Chiefs Mudavanhu, Chingoma, Mapiravana, Mposi, Mahlebadza and Bvute, together with local communities, praised the company during a joint media and parliamentary familiarisation tour, saying the process respected cultural values, community traditions and human dignity.

Community leaders said the relocation exercise was not solely about compensation but also about ensuring affected families were consulted and allowed to conduct reburials in accordance with their customs and beliefs.

Mutapa Energy Resources chief executive officer Innocent Rukweza said the company deliberately chose not to impose solutions on communities and instead sought guidance from traditional leaders throughout the process.

"We were responsible for ensuring that we adhered to cultural norms and customs and we made sure that the families affected were allowed and given the leeway to conduct those services in a manner that respected their traditions," said Rukweza.

"So yes, the chiefs guided us and the process was done amicably with the involvement of the community."

He said Mutapa Energy Resources works closely with traditional leaders on matters relating to customs, culture and community affairs.

"And over and above that we really work hand in glove with our local chiefs. Not only on exhumation but on all the things that we've been consulting and being assisted and guided by the local chiefs, especially around customs and norms that apply to this Sandawana area," he said.

Rukweza revealed that 69 graves were located within the footprint of the planned processing plant and had to be relocated.

According to the company, the exhumation and reburial process cost more than US$7,000 per grave, representing a total expenditure of more than US$483,000.

Chief Mudavanhu said traditional leaders played a central role in ensuring that families were treated with dignity throughout the process.

"As custodians of our traditions, cultural norms and values, we were responsible for leading the engagements. We told the company that our people are not just numbers to be moved. Their dignity must be respected, and our local governance must be prioritised. That is what happened here," he said.

"We guided every step, from the consultation to the exhumation and reburial. No grave was touched without the family and the traditional leadership agreeing on how it should be done."

Chief Mahlebadza said meaningful development can only occur when traditional leadership structures are respected and involved.

"We are the custodians of the land and the ancestors who lie in it. If you bypass the chief, you bypass the people. Here, we were not bypassed. We led, we advised, and we made sure the cultural requisites were followed to the letter," he said.

Chief Mposi said traditional leaders made it clear from the outset that respect for local customs was non-negotiable.

"Our duty is to protect our people's dignity and our traditional governance. We made it clear from day one that no process would go ahead unless it respected our norms. The company respected that, and we worked together," he said.

Beyond the grave relocations, community leaders noted that the resettlement programme has already delivered significant infrastructure and social amenities.

The project has reportedly seen the resettlement of 104 households, construction of a modern school, clinic and police station, installation of water reticulation infrastructure and development of a US$40.6 million service road under a US$3.3 million Resettlement Action Plan.

Community representatives said the Sandawana experience demonstrates that large-scale mining projects can proceed while respecting cultural heritage, traditional authority and community dignity.

They argued that when communities are consulted, traditional leaders are involved and cultural practices are respected, relocation becomes a process of resettlement and development rather than displacement.eburials linked to the Sandawana Lithium Mine project.