The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) has called on the government to urgently intervene in what it describes as a worsening humanitarian and environmental crisis linked to the operations of Dinson Iron and Steel Company (DISCO) in Manhize.
In a statement, the watchdog accused the company of failing to adequately support communities displaced to pave the way for the multi-billion-dollar Dinson Industrial Park leaving families facing poor living conditions, unreliable water supplies and food insecurity.
Centre for Natural Resource Governance said affected communities had endured years of hardship amid unresolved relocation arrangements and environmental concerns.
“Zimbabwe’s industrialisation agenda cannot be realised by sacrificing human dignity, community rights and environmental justice,” CNRG said.
The organisation claimed that six boreholes drilled by the company at relocation sites had reportedly dried up leaving displaced families without reliable access to water.
It also alleged that compensation for affected families had been inadequate because the land was classified as state land, meaning compensation covered only structures and trees, rather than the broader livelihood value of farmland.
CNRG expressed particular concern over the situation of about 22 families from Mushenjere village many of whom are elderly and reportedly between 80 and 90 years old.
According to the organisation, many elderly women who depended on subsistence farming have lost access to agricultural land after mining and industrial operations expanded into their fields.
“The company set up its industrial complex on the villagers’ farmland, thereby bringing farming activities to a halt,” CNRG said.
The organisation added that the construction of a perimeter wall around the industrial site had effectively enclosed arable land once used by local families.
“Consequently, for more than four years the affected families have not been able to grow crops for subsistence, thereby condemning them to perennial food insecurity,” the statement said.
Only three families have reportedly been relocated to a designated site but CNRG alleges that some of the houses have already developed structural cracks despite appearing complete from the outside.
The organisation said affected households were surviving on irregular subsistence payments of US$200 every two months, an amount it described as insufficient to meet basic needs amid rising living costs.
“At one point, these payments reportedly stopped for more than five months until communities protested,” CNRG said.
The watchdog also raised concerns over allegations that some company-linked officials were seeking to “sanitise” the public image of the project while downplaying conditions faced by displaced communities.
According to CNRG, journalists have allegedly been invited to carefully managed tours of production facilities while relocation areas, cracked homes and pollution-affected zones are excluded from view.
The organisation further alleged that officials from the Ministry of Lands had recently summoned a senior company manager over claims of community engagement conducted outside formal government relocation procedures.
CNRG also expressed concern about worker welfare, alleging that some employees underwent medical tests whose results were not disclosed to them.
“At some point the company engaged a medical doctor to carry out medical tests on employees but the results were not declared to the workers. In cases where some workers might have life-threatening conditions, this information remains a closely guarded secret by management,” the organisation said.
The rights group has called for urgent government action including independent structural inspections of relocation houses, improved water infrastructure, environmental and health assessments and greater oversight of relocation and compensation processes.
It also urged authorities to protect elderly residents from further displacement and investigate allegations of misinformation and irregular engagement by company officials.
