Las 5 Fuerzas de Porter

In any mining venture the relocation of the local community is an important and yet a controversial process. This was the case with the people of Marange who were relocated from their lands of origin. Under this section I will discuss the process and the effects of the relocation of the Marange citizens.

When the companies that were granted EPOs began their exploration work on the site they embarked on a plan that would see the people of Marange being relocated. It was reported that 600 families that had been staying in Marange for most of their lives were to be moved. According to Madebwe et al (2011:293), 50 families were moved and displaced to a government owned farm, ARDA Transau. The movement of these families was fraught with a number of irregularities. Various individuals have been vocal and critical of the mining companies and the Zimbabwean government over the relocation of the Marange citizens. The belief is that the mining companies failed to fully compensate the families that had been moved. The families were moved from their ancestral land to a piece of land equivalent to a football pitch. It is noted that ARDA Transau has accommodation which includes a three bedroomed house (substandard), a kitchen, a cattle kraal and the families were also to conduct their cultivation on this small piece of land (Maguwu: 2015). The people of Marange were short changed by the mining companies who managed to force them out for almost next to nothing.

The people of Marange who had their livelihoods on their land were forced to relocate at a time when the Zimbabwean economy was on a downward spiral, further compounding their already tenuous economic positions. In order to compensate the people of Marange the companies gave the people a few food hampers (Maguwu: 2015). The forced relocation of these citizens is also perpetuating the cycle of poverty that was already associated with the Marange area. For a country that prides itself on restoring land to its landless indigenous inhabitants the government of Zimbabwe has in this regard failed dismally. If anything, it has caused a lot of unprecedented suffering. When the mining companies provided compensation it was sorely inadequate. Madebwe et al (2011:29) note that each household irrespective of the size was given a once off payment of US$1000 disturbance fee and a 4 months’ supply of groceries worth between US$400 and US$480.

46

The citizens themselves were reluctant and most did not want to move to ARDA Transau for obvious reasons. Firstly, the citizens were given a month’s notice before moving and secondly, it was noted that 80% of the affected citizens revealed that they would have resisted the move if the government did not send trucks to ferry them (forcefully) to their new home (Madebwe et al 2011:293). A massive 80% goes a long way in showing how much the citizens were against the move. To further show the lack of democracy in Zimbabwe, the citizens of Marange did not lobby mine officials due to the lack of civil society in rural Zimbabwe (Madebwe et al 2011:295). The Zimbabwean government and the mining companies were able to manipulate this and were able to forcibly move the people of Marange. To elaborate further on the chaotic process of displacement, Madebwe et al (2011:296) note that many of the Marange people felt aggrieved because those who had more land and house space wanted to be compensated as their new homes and the land for cultivation was much smaller. The people of Marange in this case felt aggrieved as diamond mining effectively had had a negative impact on their livelihoods.

When the initial movement of people started in 2009 the people of Marange were subjected to poor living conditions. Research states that families were moved into old tobacco farm barns that had no schools or clinics for the people (Dhliwayo 2013:5). These living conditions were again a far cry from what the people had in their previous lives. One can argue that the Zimbabwean government as well as the mining companies violated the human rights of the Marange people as they were deprived of basic human rights like education and access to clinics and hospitals.

Agriculture is an important aspect of rural life in African countries and this applies to the Zimbabwean case. The Marange community lost valuable agricultural and grazing land. This seriously affected the ability of the Marange people to feed their families (Dhliwayo 2013:5). In this regard, the relocation process was a major cause of concern as it obviously affects the lives of the people in a negative manner. By losing land for both agriculture and grazing it is clear that the process of relocation as well as the discovery of the Marange diamonds did not improve the livelihoods of the citizens but rather had a negative impact. If anything, the treatment of the Marange citizens mirrors the political environment in rural Zimbabwe.

The nature of Zimbabwean politics has left the rural community on the back foot in relation to asserting their constitutional rights against overbearing authorities and mining conglomerates who are on tow. Dhliwayo (2013:3) notes that the rural population do not have ownership rights

47

to their land and this means they have little ground to negotiate. It is therefore no surprise that the government and the mining companies took advantage of this. The Rural District Councils Act (Chapter 29:13) states that the Rural District Councils (RDCs) manage the communal land as well as any discovered minerals on behalf of the state (Dhliwayo 2013:3). This reaffirms the belief that the land is not owned by the people who use it but is in actual fact owned by the government and therefore the government will reap the rewards from any mineral resources exploited therein.

The government of Zimbabwe in itself failed to address the relocation of the people of Marange accordingly. For instance according to Dhliwayo (2013:8) the mining activities commenced in 2007 but the Marange community was only made aware of the relocations in December 2009. It took the government close to two years to inform the people of Marange about their relocation. The government failed to ensure that the people of Marange would be adequately compensated and more importantly the government failed to provide sufficient and fertile land for the people of Marange. Instead of the diamonds bringing renewed hope for the community the diamonds instead worsened their livelihoods.