Pan Africa Mining (Pvt) Ltd has been accused of destroying sacred cultural heritage sites linked to First Chimurenga heroes after a village head under Chief Chivero approached the High Court seeking to stop the company’s operations in Mashonaland West.
Headman Tobias Ruse Gumboreshumba filed an urgent application seeking an interdict against Pan Africa Mining, alleging that its activities, including the construction of the proposed Mupfure B (Njatara) Dam along the Mupfure River, are threatening ancestral graves, sacred forests, caves and cultural sites associated with Sekuru Kaguvi Gumboreshumba and Paramount Chief Chinengundu Mashayamombe.
According to court papers, the construction site lies within an area regarded by local communities as a significant cultural and spiritual heritage site.
“The construction site of the dam sits at the very heart of the monuments and heritage sites of First Chimurenga heroes, namely Sekuru Kaguvi Gumboreshumba and Paramount Chief Chinengundu Mashayamombe,” Headman Gumboreshumba said in his application.
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The headman said descendants of Sekuru Kaguvi, Chief Mashayamombe and communities living along both sides of the Mupfure River oppose the project, arguing that it threatens sites used for ancestral worship, rain-making ceremonies and other traditional practices.
He said the area contains sacred forests, caves, pools and ancestral graves, some believed to be more than 120 years old and protected under Zimbabwean law.
Headman Gumboreshumba alleged that Pan Africa Mining had already begun clearing parts of the area for construction purposes, causing damage to cultural heritage sites.
“The graves are well over 120 years old and should be protected in terms of the law. Great damage to the site has already been caused as the first respondent has begun clearing the area for construction purposes,” he said.
The villagers also claim the area had been identified as a future reburial site for First Chimurenga heroes, including Sekuru Kaguvi and Chief Mashayamombe, should their remains be repatriated.
Headman Gumboreshumba said efforts to engage Pan Africa Mining and relevant authorities had failed to resolve the matter.
He further alleged that the project was proceeding without adequate consultation with local communities and custodians of the sacred sites.
Pan Africa Mining, the Minister of Mechanisation and Water Resources, the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, the National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority have been cited as respondents in the case.
The applicants are seeking an order stopping all construction and mining activities pending the determination of the matter by the High Court.
Pan Africa Mining had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication.