Drawing Water Without Villagers’ Consent In Hwange “Amount To Robbery,” Says Charamba

A senior government official has warned that both the government and investors must be considerate when dealing with water-related projects, particularly in semi-arid regions such as Hwange.

This follows the arrest of five villagers from Diki in Hwange District, who were charged with obstructing a waterworks project at Kalope Dam.

A Chinese-owned company is seeking to draw water from the dam for its power plant without the consent of the villagers.

Commenting on the issue in a post on X, Deputy Chief Secretary for Presidential Communications in the Office of the President and Cabinet, George Charamba, said drawing water without the approval of local communities in dry areas amounts to robbing them of a vital resource. He wrote:

“Both Govt and investors need to be very careful about WATER is dry, fragile communities like Hwange.

‘Water is the be-all and end-all for such communities where alternative sources are hard to come by.

“Worse when the villagers have no access to the power for which the water is needed. It amounts to robbing them!”

The villagers are concerned that their dam could run dry or become polluted, similar to what happened to the Deka River in Hwange, which Chinese investors reportedly poisoned.

According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), the group of villagers includes four women, Simangele Singa (40), Definite Munsaka (34), Chetani Mathe (35), and Lynette Zulu (34), and one man, Likwa Nyathi (26).

They were each granted US$100 bail at the Hwange Magistrates’ Court on Friday after spending two nights in police custody.

They were arrested on Wednesday, 1 October, in Diki village, Hwange District, Matabeleland North Province. Said the ZLHR:

“They were charged with committing a litany of crimes among them obstructing any water works as defined in section 118(1)(a) of the Water Act, disorderly conduct as defined in section 41(b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and public indecency as defined in section 77(1)(a) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

“When the five villagers appeared at Hwange Magistrates Court on Friday 3 October 2025 after spending two nights in police detention, prosecutors alleged that they unlawfully and intentionally obstructed some employees of Zhongjing Helli Energy from laying water pipes meant to draw water from Kalope Dam in Diki village.

“The prosecutors claimed that the five villagers had unlawfully and intentionally engaged in riotous conduct at Kalope Dam by threatening to strike some Zhongjing Helli Energy employees with stones.

“The prosecutors also alleged that Zulu, one of the villagers, had unlawfully and intentionally indecently exposed herself by removing her dress and exposing her breasts within the view of other persons.”

The five, who are represented by Thulani Nkala of ZLHR, were released on bail of US$100 each. They are due back in court on 17 October 2025.