Zimbabweans complain about Belarusian company over pollution

There is widespread environmental degradation, and we are not sure that the relevant authorities are unaware of what is happening. A Chinese mining company is demolishing the mountain, but nothing has been done to protect the lives of all the families at the foot of the mountain. Blasting is going on every minute and our lives are in danger. At one point, debris from the blasting hit and destroyed part of the roof of one of the residents' houses...

They are using chemicals that turn all the ground on our home sites to white ash as they apply the chemicals. You can't do anything outside while the chemicals are being applied because everyone is choking. It's been going on for days and we don't know what's going to happen to us. We don't even know what chemicals they're using. Noise pollution 24 hours a day because they work 24 hours a day from Monday to Sunday.

...I hope you can help solve this situation before all the people in and around Premiere die."

In 2022, the Belarusian company Zim Goldfields, together with a Chinese partner, was involved in a scandal when the company illegally mined gold in the tourist complex. Complaints by the owners were ignored.

Activists also recall that Zim Goldfields was involved in the tragedy of miners being buried alive.

In 2021, Belarusian investigators learned that Zim Goldfields was founded in 2018. Siarhey Sheiman, son of Lukashenka's close associate Viktar Sheiman, and businessman Alexander Zingman received shares in the company through shell companies.