Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has promised to soon provide Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Mali, Somalia and Zimbabwe 25 to 50 tones of grain ‘free of charge’ and ensure delivery of the same. State broadcaster, The Herald, also reported that Putin gave President Emmerson Mnangagwa a free presidential helicopter, soon to be delivered to Zimbabwe. The remarks were made during the 2nd Russia-Africa Summit currently underway in St Petersburg, Russia. The inaugural summit was held in 2019. Russia is seeking closer ties with the African bloc following its invasion of Ukraine which triggered sanctions from the Western bloc. The major question to be asked is what is the actual cost of this supposedly free lunch.
Putin’s pledge comes hot on the heels of a three-day state visit by his protégée, the Belarusian President Alexandra Lukashenko who toured the country on a three-day state visit in January. The investments of Belarus and Russia in Zimbabwe have been controversial. The activities have been largely military and political agreements which saw Russia exploiting Zimbabwe’s mineral resources in exchange forDTZ Ozgeo, a joint venture between the Development Trust of Zimbabwe, founded by the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo and Russia’s Econedra Private Limited, was stopped from operating in Penhalonga by the Environmental Management Agency following an outcry from Penhalonga residents in 2014. Apart from massive environmental degradation, nobody could explain how DTZ Ozgeo was benefitting the residents of Penhalonga. There was no single structure or housing unit constructed by DTZ Ozgeo in Penhalonga for the 10 years they operated in the area. The company security personnel tortured many people to death on allegations of illegal mining within its concession.
In 2014, the Zimbabwe government commissioned the $3 billion Great Dyke Investments platinum project in Darwendale which was a joint venture between ZMDC and a Russian consortium comprising of Vi Holdings, arms conglomerate Rostec and Vnesheconombank. It was further alleged a subsidiary of the Zimbabwe National Army owned 30% in the GDI joint venture. The deal collapsed in 2021, but not before locals complained of land grabs by GDI.
Mr Lukashenko’s Belarussian company, named Zimgold, is currently committing extreme environmental crimes along Mutare River and surrounding settlements where they have been flattening hills whilst regularly shifting the course of Mutare River, which is a tributary to Odzi River which pours into Save River. Consequently, both Odzi and Save Rivers are experiencing serious siltation due to the activities of Zimgold. In November 2020, Xu Zhong Jin [Zhondin] Investments, a Chinese company subcontracted by Zimgold to mine at Premier, buried alive an unknown number of artisanal miners at Premier Estates in Old Mutare. Zimgold has also been blasting hills with complete disregard for human settlements around those hills. Trenches have been dug less than 15 metres from homesteads. Petitioning parliament and letters from residents have not deterred the Belarussians from the war on the environment as they use their relationship with top politicians as their shield.
Our interest is in the potential impact of these ties to Zimbabwe’s natural resources governance and the peace, safety, and security of our people, particularly those in areas endowed with vast natural resources. The complete disregard of environmental laws by Russian and Belarussian enterprises in Zimbabwe and their abuse of high offices to tremble on the rights of communities and nature cannot be ignored.
The continued discovery of so-called critical minerals, particularly lithium, puts Zimbabwe on a slippery path as these highly sought-after resources tend to attract conflict instead of peace and development, if not managed properly. Given that the Wagner group has tended to follow Russia’s strategic and economic interests, it is not a far-fetched idea to say they might end up in Zimbabwe soon to protect Russia and Belarus’ economic interests.
CNRG will continue to monitor these developments closely.