SAMUEL NJINGA
Villagers in Bikita district, Masvingo Province are up in arms with the management of the country’s largest lithium producer, Bikita Minerals Mine after the miner stopped them from harvesting ‘scouring’ powder from its lithium waste dumps.
The villagers have been benefiting from selling the scouring powder, also known as vim , a product used to clean kitchen utensils.
However, the Bikita Minerals management has since stopped them from fetching large quantities of the powder from the mine.
“We have been working here for decades. We have managed to send our children to school through the sale of this scouring powder. (But) the mine authorities no longer want to see us at their premises. They give us quantities that please them. We feel this is very unfair for us since we earn a living out of selling this product,” one vim powder vendor, Esnath Chipinge told Business Times.
Another vendor, Tizirai Machona said their situation has been worsened by the fact that the bulk of their land has been taken over by the mine.
“We have got nowhere to go right now. We are landless people in our sovereign place. As it stands we are completely benefiting nothing from this mine. Our children are jobless. We endeavour to feed them by selling this scouring powder only to be denied by the management,” Machona said.
Another vendor who spoke on condition of anonymity said the government should intervene.
“There is no joy here. We are not happy at all. It is an issue that should be addressed. We can`t be denied everything. At least if only they could consider allowing us to harvest the scouring powder for the purpose of looking after our families. Obviously there is miscarriage of justice concerning this issue.”
All efforts to get an official comment from Bikita Minerals were futile. Bikita Minerals has been running since 1950.
