New strategies focus on legal action, transparency, and regional pressure to protect communities facing displacement and pollution.

Harare– Alarmed by escalating reports of forced displacements, environmental ruin, and violence, a major coalition of civic groups, Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition (CiZC) has announced a robust new strategy to defend the fundamental rights of Zimbabwe’s mining communities.

The CiZC, following an urgent virtual meeting on Wednesday, has pledged a series of actions designed to empower communities and hold mining companies and authorities accountable.

The meeting, titled “Exploring Strategies to Defend Fundamental Rights in Mining Communities,” revealed a litany of abuses happening in mining communities before outlining a clear path forward.

The Coalition’s plan centres on six key recommendations which include empowering grassroots watchdogs, leveraging the existing laws for transparency and accountability, investing in capacity building that enable locals to monitor environmental degradation, investing in strategic public interest litigation, working with partners and engaging in activities that promote regional pressure and amplifying community voices through targeted media partnerships.

The Coalition will invest in training community paralegals and monitoring groups to meticulously document human rights and environmental violations, enabling them to engage effectively with authorities.

The CiZC will also, through its various affiliate organisations, mobilise communities to use the Access to Information Act to force mining companies to disclose details of their operations, demanding unprecedented transparency.

“Communities will be empowered to formally monitor the often-criticised Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process and collectively object to harmful mining projects.

The coalition will support and engage in lawsuits to challenge human rights violations and set legal precedents for the protection of mining communities,” said the Coalution in its communique.

Recognising the problem is region-wide, the Coalition will mobilise partners across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to apply pressure for human rights standards.

“Building strong collaborations with the media will be prioritised to ensure the plight of affected communities receives national and international attention,” said the CiZC.

The meeting documented the severe challenges prompting this response.

Participants reported “alarming” accounts of physical abuse and torture, severe water and air pollution leading to health risks, and forced displacements without adequate compensation.

The Coalition also noted the specific marginalisation of women, who are excluded from decision-making and face increased violence, and the desecration of gravesites, which violates cultural rights.

“Instead of generating economic prosperity, mining operations often leave behind a legacy of destruction, environmental degradation, and ongoing poverty,” the Coalition stated, condemning the exploitation of resources without local reinvestment.

The new strategies will be executed through the Coalition’s established network of constitutional hubs across the country. This initiative is part of its broader ongoing campaign, Tinoida Yekedero/Siyifuna Injalo, which seeks to safeguard Zimbabwe’s constitution from erosion.

This six-point plan marks a significant shift towards a more coordinated, legally-minded, and regionally-aware approach to defending citizens in Zimbabwe’s resource-rich but often suffering communities.