Police detain two Lukosi women in renewed clash over Kalope Dam

Police in Hwange have reportedly arrested two women following a community protest against a Chinese company attempting to install a pipeline to draw water from the locally constructed Kalope Dam.

The incident was confirmed by Simangele Singa, secretary of the Lukosi Irrigation Scheme, who said the scheme relies entirely on water from the dam. Villagers fear that if the Chinese firm extracts water, their irrigation system will collapse.

"Two Lukosi women - Chetani Mathe and Deficiency Ndlovu - were detained on the morning of 1 October after joining hundreds of villagers who resisted Chinese mine workers trying to forcefully install pumping equipment at the disputed Kalope Dam," Singa wrote.

Built through community effort in 1992, the dam is considered the lifeblood of Lukosi. Villagers accuse the ZJHL Chinese Coal Mining Company - allegedly backed by corrupt state officials - of attempting to seize their only water source. Police were deployed in large numbers to protect the miners, but after a tense standoff, they eventually withdrew, and the Chinese workers abandoned the operation.

Singa said the attempted takeover amounts to a gross violation of human rights, stripping villagers of food security, water access, and dignity.

The Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) condemned what it called government collusion, accusing Resident Minister Richard Moyo, Chief Charles Nekatambe, Headman Joseph Chanke, and ZINWA officials of betraying the people in favour of foreign profiteers.

MRP alleged that Headman Chanke is pressuring villagers to accept the Chinese presence, claiming he was instructed by Minister Moyo to manage the Lukosi community and facilitate the takeover.

MRP President Mqondisi Moyo reiterated his long-standing criticism of traditional leaders in Matabeleland and Midlands, accusing them of enabling the 1979 Shona Grandplan:

"The continued takeover of Kalope Dam by the Chinese - assisted by the Resident Minister, Chief, Headman, and ZINWA officials - is another Gukurahundi in the making. These chiefs cannot handle the emotive Gukurahundi issue and are failing to protect their subjects, who are under siege from Shonas and Chinese," Moyo said.

One villager summed up the community's sentiment:

"Water is life. Kalope Dam belongs to the community, not to corrupt politicians or Chinese companies."

The standoff has become a flashpoint for self-determination in Matabeleland, with Lukosi villagers vowing to defend the dam against any future attempts to seize it.