The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) says there has been an increase in conflicts related to natural resource distribution within communities.
Speaking to journalists on the day to commemorate the World International Peace Day, NPRC spokesperson Commissioner Obert Gutu said the Commission is exploring a peace-conflict impact assessment model to address the conflicts.
“We have increasingly been witnessing conflicts arising in communities as a result of natural resource distribution and extraction. We are thus making inquiries about how extractive investments can be a source of division and disunity among communities hosting investors. A peace-conflict impact assessment model is being explored to protect both communities and investors from divisive conflicts which negate development and leave host communities disgruntled and unhappy.” said Gutu
He said the Commission has since deployed teams to the affected areas with the aim to investigate.
“We deployed teams on the ground and are winding up investigations that began two weeks ago. It’s a team of fifteen that came from the Commission’s seven thematic committees. They are visiting Chisumbanje and Marange and have spoken to more than a thousand people in Chisumbanje hearing grievances of the villagers and they will compile a comprehensive report from all concerned parties. At the moment we cannot give a detailed report as we are waiting for them,” he said
NPRC faces a huge task in bringing communities together as villagers in Uzumba’s Kaseke Muremba villages are facing evictions from Chinese owned company Heijing. The area is endowed with black granite and the villagers claim they were not consulted of any exploration by the company.
Mashonaland East provincial affairs Minister Apollonia Munzverengwi is tomorrow expected to visit the affected areas.
In Chisumbanje, Green Fuel an ethanol processing company has been accused of displacing villagers from their land in pursuit of its expansion.
