A bitter showdown has erupted between Bryden Country School in Chegutu and Chinese-owned Shuntai Cement, after the company pushed ahead with building a lime and cement factory just 497 metres from the school's boundary despite a High Court order to stop operations.
The elite school accuses Shuntai of endangering pupils' health with toxic dust, noxious fumes and noise pollution, while cornering the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for issuing an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) certificate that allegedly ignored glaring health and zoning violations.
In a letter addressed to parents dated August 16 2025 gleaned by NewZimbabwe.com, it has emerged that on March 25, the High Court ordered Shuntai to "suspend any activities" at its Eastbourne, Chegutu site.
The Chinese company pressed on with construction, including blasting and heavy machinery works, which parents say have already exposed children to hazardous dust and fumes.
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Frustrated, Bryden took Shuntai back to court, accusing the company of contempt of court.
Also, on 25 July, a High Court judge visited the site to determine for himself if Shuntai was in contempt of the first stop order.
His ruling in the current High Court order confirms this.
The school has also dragged EMA to court, accusing the regulator of rubber-stamping Shuntai's ESIA report despite clear evidence that the project sits in an education zone with multiple institutions nearby, including Springs of Grace, Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School and a university.
In the letter to parents, Bryden's chairperson of governors, A. Noor, said EMA only released the ESIA after a court order, but it was the same flawed report initially rejected.
"Shuntai managed to wangle an ESIA certificate from EMA, suggesting they had addressed stakeholder concerns, of which they had not," Noor said.
The school has now appealed to parents to stand firm as the legal battle escalates.
"We are not yet out of the woods as Shuntai is determined to proceed even against the ruling of the High Court of Zimbabwe," Noor warned. "Forty-three years ago, parents came together to build this school, and today we are appealing for parents to stand united to defend it."
The dispute now awaits a decisive hearing before the Administrative Court and the Minister of Environment, but with construction still underway, Bryden says children remain at risk.
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"In the meantime, massive building has continued on site, and the school has been experiencing increased dust influx as well as fumes from burning of noxious material, as well as noise of heavy machinery and some blasting mainly experienced on the pool side of the school.
"Thus, the school was compelled to go back to court to reinforce the first stop order," Noor said.
