Representatives of Peri-Urban Bulawayo in ward 17’s St Peters, New Mazwi, Robert Sinyoka and Methodist villages have resolved to actively defend their environmental rights in view of the anticipated impacts of increasing quarry mining to start in the area.
In the year 2020, the Bulawayo City Council approved applications by 5 quarry mining companies and most of the sites are within the Hyde Park vicinity.
Speaking during the Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights (MIHR) environmental rights workshop today, representatives of the Village Development Committees of the 4 villages resolved to take active measures to ensure that the companies adhere to Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) recommendations. They further resolved to immediately formulate Village Environmental Committees, local environmental rights charters and to educate others about their environmental rights.
MIHR will continue to empower the communities to organize and nonviolently defend their rights considering the adverse impacts of mining (and quarrying) that have been observed in other communities.
Meanwhile 6 of those who were in the workshop joined the MIHR Movement for Environmental Management Action (MEMA) which is a social movement of Zimbabwean people determined to actively participate in protecting and promoting environmental rights in their community.
Source: Matabeleland Institute of Human Rights
