Women call for ecological restoration of Save River; condemn riverbed and say “It takes more than joint ventures to conjure up of environmentally friendly riverbed mining”

This Blog is about my reflections on my fieldwork in Zimbabwe’s host mining communities and my interactions with other stakeholders in this sector. I will share my observations and insights on the challenges women face in their struggle to be heard and empowered along the mining value chain.

Yesterday’s Sunday Mail carried a notification for submissions of views for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for alluvial mining and processing of gold mining along Mazowe River to be carried out by Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Mining Company (ZCDC). Save River is among the rivers targeted for alluvial riverbed mining. As an environmental justice practitioner, I am very worried about these developments because it is only a matter of time before a similar noticed is published for the Save River. Two weeks ago I participated in a campaign organised by women living along Save, Odzi, Singwizi and Chenyu Rivers.  The campaign emanated from the fact that Save River had ‘run dry’ as a result of pollution of the river by diamond miners coupled with the diversion of all the clean water upstream by current diamond mining companies, including ZCDC. In wanton disregard of community rights, Constitutional rights, Environmental Management Agency regulations and the Water Act, ZCDC and other diamond mining companies pumps are diverting all the water from Save River into dams for diamond processing.

Figure 1 Clean water being pumped out of Save River by diamond mining company

Figure 2Dam of clean water upstream for use by diamond mining company

I was shocked by what I saw because I remember when I was growing up my mother had tales of the mighty Save River where they would go swimming and get fish. Save River was the lifeline of people spanning across Chimanimani, Chipinge, Buhera districts. Moreover, just last year in September I was at the same site along the Save River and we had to pull up our skirts to cross the river since water levels were almost waist high. Now women go with shovels to get little water to wash clothes and to get water for cattle and other livestock to drink.

Figure 3This is what Save River looked like at Mangwadza, Buhera site two weeks ago

Figure 4 washing hole dug up by a woman

Women bear the brunt of this mining induced water crisis along the Save and its tributaries. Women have the water gathering roles in households and lose many productive hours gathering and fetching water for cooking, bathing, washing and cleaning. The campaign I participated in was led by women who were calling for ecological restoration of Save River in a campaign called “Gem miners Clean up Save River”.  These women have organised themselves into women’s forums, platforms where they reflect on what they can do to address the gendered impacts of mining, how they can tap into emerging opportunities if any from mining and how they can participate effectively in decision making processes. Notwithstanding the urgent need for ecological restoration of the Save River, the new legal provisions on riverbed mining ironically aimed at protecting the environment stop riverbed mining except where it is done as a joint venture with government.  It is as if the joint ventures are going to be the panacea of environmentally friendly riverbed mining yet the same mining company that is diverting water like ZCDC, as shown above is expected to capture community interests, especially women’s interests when conducting riverbed mining.

Whilst women are still reeling from impacts of diamond mining along the Save River, riverbed mining is likely to add to their woes. The women living along the Save River and its tributaries must be capacitated to respond to any notice of intention for riverbed mining along the Save River and make known their concerns, not just around likely devastating environmental impacts but also that there must be consequences and accountability  for miners who violate environmental rights, including state owned mining companies. In fact state owned mining companies like ZCDC must have higher threshold of legal liability  for non- compliance with environmental standards since the state has the ultimate duty to protect human rights.   The new riverbed mining legal provisions are already viewed by women as a conjecture from a typical kugocha kunoda kwaamai kwemwana kunodzima moto perception where communities feel the government is basically stopping private investors from riverbed mining so the government does it in the same environmentally devastating manner with no consequences at all. It takes more than joint ventures to conjure up of environmentally friendly riverbed mining. There is a reason why riverbed mining is being banned in the first place, these same reasons justify why riverbed mining is being condemned by women along the Save River.

Insights from the ZAMI Session on Gender and Extractives

Since 2014 I have had the privilege to attend the Zimbabwe Alternative Mining Indaba (ZAMI), a platform for the often excluded and marginalized host mining communities and civil society to engage government and mining companies on pertinent issues in the mining sector. Every year mining companies and government meet at a Mining Indaba to discuss pertinent issues in the mining sector. I also had the privilege to attend the Mining Indaba 2016. This gathering is usually far from the reach of host mining communities and civil society as the costs for registration and travel are too high for many. There is an annual African Mining Indaba held in Cape Town for investors and African governments to speak about mining and minerals development. I also had the privilege to attend the 2016 African Mining Indaba.

For the past five years Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), Zimbabwe Council of Churches and Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development have created and hosted an alternative space the ZAMI and this year the ZAMI was held under the theme “Mining Sector Reforms: A call for Economic Justice and the Environment.” After attending the 2014 ZAMI session, it was apparent that there was the lack of a robust and coordinated integration of gender analysis and women's rights within mining sector in the ZAMI discourse. In 2015 the ZAMI had its inaugural first Session on Gender and Extractive Industries to highlight the ways in which women are excluded in this increasingly important sector, in their participation in the sector itself, and in their ability to benefit from the labour they contribute.

The session identified key issues facing women in the mining sector, and probed participants to provide innovative suggestions to law and policy makers to promote gender equality in line with the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

 The 2015 ZAMI Session on Gender and Extractive Industries declared that;

      Mining companies’ community development plans must incorporate ways of addressing differential impacts of mining on men and women.  For instance mining companies have the corporate responsibility to respect sexual, reproductive and health rights of women (SRHR) in the communities they operate in and must therefore put in place measures to address the negative impacts of their mining activities on SRHR of women.

      The state must protect the rights of both women and men in mining communities including strengthen delivery of gender responsive services e.g. health centres to cater for women’s SRHR, education, access to justice including access to adequate housing and social services should be provided for women and families in relocation areas.

In 2016 there was a more nuanced discussion on the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill. The 2016 Session on Gender and Extractive Industries declared that the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill must incorporate provisions on;

      Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) compelling mining companies and the government to enter into negotiations with host mining communities before taking away their communal land and women must have a seat at the table when the decision to extract is being made.  

      Local content development stating clear preference for employment of local people, skills and technology transfer programs including local enterprise development commitments.

      Gender Impact Assessments to be conducted prior to commencement of mining operations with an assessment of the financial ability of the mining company to meet obligations to reduce/remedy negative gendered impacts of mining e.g. financial capacity to rehabilitate the environment.

My observations are that the ZAMI Session on Gender and Extractive Industries by its existence is a loud statement that the needs and status of women and girls can no longer be accorded low priority in the mining sector. In fact the Session re-affirms the need to foster attitudes and get unwavering support for power-holders in this sector to answer to women for failure to ensure respect of women’s rights. The Session is a galvanization of women’s agency for a more proactive approach to women’s economic empowerment through sustainable and responsible mining, far removed from extractivism plunder currently perpetuated by the existing mining law regime. I certainly hope that the Session on Gender and Extractive Industries becomes a permanent feature of all ZAMIs. In fact it is my hope that the both the national Mining Indaba and regional African Mining Indaba also captures the urgent need to advance women’s rights, voice and power in the mining sector. Indeed it must be understood that the Session on Gender and Extractive Industries does not preclude the need for more women presenters, speakers, panellists, moderators, discussants and facilitators, not just in but across the Mining Indabas’ agendas.