By Mannex Mauya
The air in Murambinda, usually thick with the low hum of Sabi Star Mine operations, carried a distinct tension. Twenty-three families, uprooted and relocated, had waited years for the promise of a stable new beginning to be fully honored. They had been moved to the town with the clear assurance of 450 square metre residential stands each, deemed to be a fair exchange for the land they had given up. Livelihoods and other fair considerations were ignored.
Reality was starkly different. The allocated stands varied wildly, with the smallest measuring 331 square metres and the largest just 400 square metres. Collectively, the relocated families had been short-changed a massive 1920 square metres of land—a loss that felt like a punch to the gut. This shortfall didn’t just represent dirt and boundary lines; it represented stolen value and security.
Their fight, however, was not fought alone. The Buhera Residents Network Trust (BRNT), empowered by the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Organization (ZELO), took up the cause. BRNT’s team of 26 environmental and human rights monitors, trained in Environmental Social Governance (ESG) sustainability monitoring, had relentlessly tracked the discrepancy. Through sustained advocacy work, they applied public and legal pressure, finally bringing the issue to a head with the local council.
The Milestone Meeting
The climax of their efforts arrived in a crucial meeting. Attending were the District Development Coordinator, the Council Chief Executive Officer, the mining company management, and representatives of the relocated families. The result was a stunning victory.
To settle the debt, the council agreed to compensate the families with land equivalent to the shortfall. They handed over land totalling 1920 square metres—enough to accommodate six new high-density residential stands. More significantly, the land was valued at US$20,000, calculated at a rate of US$10.90 per square metre. This land and its value were formally given to Sabi Star Mine management to handle the final allocation to the twenty-three short-changed families.
Madam Msikavanhu, one of the family representatives, spoke for everyone when she expressed her profound gratitude. “Had it not been for our friends BRNT and ZELO, we could not have achieved it alone. Big thanks to our all-weather friends,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
Mai Knowledge, a representative tasked with the distribution, outlined the fair approach they would take. They wouldn’t simply divide the six stands evenly. Instead, they would “simply calculate the amount of land each family was short changed at the rate of US$10.90/square metre” to ensure those who lost the most received the highest compensation value.
