Penhalonga, Mutasa District — February 2026
Families in Tsvingwe and Penhalonga are facing a deepening crisis as eviction notices pave the way for gold mining expansion by Betterbrands Mining Company, in partnership with Chinese investors. More than 200 households are at risk of losing their homes and farmland, with residents reporting that crops are already being ploughed down to clear land for mining operations.
For women who rely on farming and vending to sustain their families, the destruction of fields represents an immediate loss of income and food security. Maize, groundnuts, and vegetable plots — the backbone of household survival — are being uprooted before harvest, leaving families without a safety net. This sudden dispossession is not only economic but deeply social, stripping women of their independence and eroding community resilience.
The eviction crisis also threatens children’s education. With crops destroyed and incomes lost, parents fear they will no longer afford school fees. Displacement will uproot children from classrooms, while instability risks fueling school dropouts, early marriages, and child labor. Community members argue that the eviction will strip young people of their futures, replacing education and stability with exploitation and insecurity.
Betterbrands, owned by ZANU PF businessman Pedzisai “Scott” Sakupwanya, has a history of unsafe mining practices at Redwing Mine — including toxic pollution, open pits, and fatal accidents. Residents fear that Tsvingwe Mountain will suffer the same fate, with women and children bearing the brunt of environmental collapse and health hazards.
The Zivai Community Empowerment Trust (ZCET), a feminist grassroots organization, has stepped forward to defend affected families. Rooted in the belief that women’s rights are inseparable from community survival, ZCET insists that mining expansion without consultation is an assault on women’s agency and livelihoods. “This is not development, it is dispossession. Women are being stripped of their land, their livelihoods, and their futures. We refuse to be silent as our communities are sacrificed for profit,” said a ZCET representative. The organization has also warned that children’s futures are at risk, stressing that protecting women’s livelihoods is inseparable from safeguarding education and community stability.
Local leaders, supported by ZCET, insist that no mining should proceed without dialogue. They are calling for urgent engagement with authorities and mining companies to address concerns over health risks, displacement, and environmental destruction. “We cannot be pushed aside for gold. Our voices must be heard before a single machine starts digging,” declared one resident at the emergency meeting.
As the eviction deadline approaches, Penhalonga stands at a crossroads: either authorities uphold accountability and community rights, or risk igniting a humanitarian and environmental disaster in the name of gold. For ZCET and the residents of Penhalonga, this is more than a fight against mining expansion — it is a feminist struggle for justice, equality, and the right of women and children to live free from dispossession.