Zimbabweans must benefit from its natural resources
Upenyu Makoni-Muchemwa recently interviewed Farai Muguwu a Zimbabwean activist working in the area of natural resource extraction and its effect on local communities. Here’s an excerpt from the interview but please visit this link to read and listen to more.
What do you foresee in the future for Marange and by extension Zimbabwe’s natural resources and their extraction?
I think Marange diamonds are the tip of the iceberg. It’s revealing the secretive nature of the extractive sector in Zimbabwe whereby you have the political elites getting into some dirty partnerships with some foreign business people to milk these resources under the guise of black empowerment. There is really no transparency, no accountability and no political will to ensure that these resources have downstream effects on the ordinary Zimbabwean. It’s not just about diamonds. There are many funny companies, which just arrive in these rural areas and start mining. There is no consultation with the local leadership, there is no participation of the local population, and there is no tangible benefit to the local community. It’s something that our government has allowed and they have participated in this corruption. We can’t expect Zimbabweans to benefit from these natural resources. They have been corruptly acquired by individuals and groups and they are not willing to let go, and therefore there is a need to see this natural resource extraction as a serious human rights issue which is contributing to further impoverishment of rural communities