communities

By Fadzai Lee Midzi-Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association On 22 March 2020 we were celebrating world water day, acknowledging the importance of water. In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic and the climate change discourse, water remains a critical resource which is getting scarce by the day yet key in preventing the …

Jurisprudential basis and historiography of EESCR In the genealogy of human rights discourse, rights are grouped into three broad categories. Firstly, we have first generation rights which are essentially civil and political rights, then second generation rights being Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR, and lastly third generation rights also …

By: Josephine Chiname Introduction and Background In Zimbabwe, the discourse centred around environmental justice in the mining sector has developed over the years. Environmental justice has emerged as an important part of the movement calling for responsible investors who respect and promote a clean and healthy environment in host mining …

By Shamiso Mtisi Deputy Director for Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) and Coordinator of KP Civil Society Coalition    Despite years of working on diamonds, this is my very first blog profiling my observations and points of reflection in monitoring a highly sensitive diamond industry. This is a sector where …

By Mukasiri Sibanda  Introduction Anchored on public pre budget consultations, the process to formulate the 2020 National Budget Statement is underway. Public participation during budget formulation is fundamental. Citizens and civil society must grab the opportunity to influence how public revenues are generated and allocated to address the stubborn challenges …

  By Nobuhle Mabhikwa “Safety is a common denominator across all aspects of life, hence knowledge should always be shared. It is not a matter for industry it is a matter for humanity”.  Doug Bourne Often when we talk about Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) in the mining sector, what …

Story by Refias Sithole (Marange Development Trust) An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is one of the important components in safeguarding the environmental child rights whenever a mining project is to be undertaken. It is not far from the truth that children and youths are more susceptible to the negative impacts …

Eunica Pabwaungana (Shurugwi Community Development Trust) Three members from Unki mining company visited Village 4 on the 24th of September 2019 . They were meeting a community that comprises of all age groups, from teenagers to octogenarians. The agenda of the meeting was based on the community concerns over impacts …

By Marange Development Trust Following reports of gross  human rights violations in Marange Chiadzwa areas  which has been documented and reported by both community human rights defenders ,community based organizations (CBOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) this attracted the attention of United Nations on Business and Human Rights who then  …

By Billian T Matambo Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Workers Union (ZIDAWU). As supported by section 149 of our constitution which grant Zimbabweans a right to petition its government, Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), local CBOs, CSOs, youth movements, and relevant stakeholders in the extractive industry joined hands in petitioning the …