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According to the chairman of the Gwanda Community Share Ownership Trust, Chief Khulumani Mathema, the trust is planning to spend $1 million to complete work on Mapati, Silikwe and Sitezi clinics as well as rehabilitate Guyu and Chelesa irrigation schemes.

Chief Mathema said work on the projects was expected to start as soon as possible and the trust was already inviting tenders.

Gwanda is among the few communities where community share ownership schemes have been launched.

The others are Shurugwi, Zvishavane, Mhondoro/Ngezi and Marange in Manicaland.
In Zvishavane the community share ownership trust has funded the construction of two classroom blocks as well as rehabilitation of some roads.

In Shurugwi the same trust is funding the construction of four classroom blocks at Musasa Primary School, three teachers’ houses, drilling of a borehole at the school and the construction of a maternity ward as well as a mortuary at Zvamabande hospital.

Under the community share ownership scheme, companies operating in a given area cede a 10 percent stake to the community and the money generated from the shareholding is then used to fund development projects such as building clinics, schools, roads and bridges.

The communities where the community share ownership schemes are operational are already enjoying the benefits of exploitation of natural resources in their areas and there is therefore need to move with speed to ensure that all companies exploiting natural resources such as minerals, timber, game and other such resources throughout the country start contributing directly to uplifting the people’s standards of living.

Communities on their part should help identify the companies exploiting natural resources in their areas and alert the Government so that it can facilitate the establishment of community share ownership schemes.

It is pleasing to note that once Government resolved to establish community share ownership schemes, a number of companies such as Zimplats in Mhondoro, Mimosa in Zvishavane and Unki in Shurugwi embraced the concept and each provided $10 million to kick-start the schemes.

It is a fact that many companies that have over the years exploited the country’s natural resources and given nothing to communities would want to continue doing so.
It is therefore important for communities to identify such companies and thereafter engage Government. These companies should be forced to cede the required 10 percent to communities.

The communities that are yet to benefit directly from their resources through the community share ownership schemes are already lagging behind and, as we have already stated, there is need to move fast to establish the trusts.

Those companies that are reluctant to cede the required 10 percent stake to communities should not be allowed to continue operating.

The days when the people, who are the owners of resources, were left wallowing in abject poverty while companies exploited their resources are over.

It is only those companies that are prepared to share the benefits of exploitation of resources with local communities that should be allowed to continue operating.

The communities on their part should put in place mechanisms to prevent abuse of trust funds.
Communities should not allow what happened in Zvishvane where chiefs reportedly paid themselves $5 000 each as sitting allowances for the whole year from the trust fund.
It is such abuse that will deny communities the benefits of trust funds.