By Tendai Chisiri
HARARE – The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) has urged the government to urgently intervene in Manhize, saying communities displaced by the Dinson Iron and Steel Company (DISCO) operations face worsening humanitarian, environmental and governance challenges.
In a press statement dated 27 May 2026, CNRG said families relocated to make way for the Dinson Industrial Park are living in poor conditions with unclear resettlement arrangements. It reported that six boreholes drilled by the company at relocation sites have dried up, leaving families without reliable water.
The group said compensation was inadequate because the land was classified as state land, meaning payments covered only structures and trees, not the full livelihood value of the land. About 22 families from Mushenjere village, many aged between 80 and 90, have lost access to farmland after the company built its industrial complex and a perimeter wall around the area.
According to CNRG, the wall enclosed all arable land belonging to the families, leaving them unable to grow crops for subsistence for more than four years and exposing them to dust, pollution and emissions from mining and limestone crushing. Only three families have reportedly been moved to the proposed relocation site, but those houses have allegedly developed structural cracks.
Affected families are surviving on irregular subsistence payments of US$200 every other month, an amount CNRG said is inadequate amid rising living costs. Payments reportedly stopped for more than five months until communities protested.
CNRG also raised concerns over worker safety, alleging that medical test results for employees were not disclosed to workers and are kept at the company’s safety office. It said media tours of the site exclude affected community areas, cracked houses and pollution zones.
The organisation called on government to enforce the construction of safe, durable housing, conduct independent structural and environmental assessments, provide reliable water infrastructure, ensure government oversight of relocation and compensation processes, and release and act on workers’ medical results. It also urged free medical examinations for affected families and an investigation into alleged irregular community engagements.
“Zimbabwe’s industrialization agenda cannot be realized by sacrificing human dignity, community rights, and environmental justice,” CNRG said.
The statement was issued by CNRG’s Information Department.
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