Discover moreDigital Newspaper SubscriptionAfrica News UpdatesDigital Media MarketingSurrounded by the highly sought-after granite stone that has been exported to Europe and Asia for more than four decades, Gurure Secondary School in Mutoko North has no electricity, no water, insufficient classrooms, and an administration block that has been under construction for the past 15 years.
The school's administration block has been under construction since 2010. Headmaster Marufu Simeon, who joined the school in 2012, told NewZimbabwe.Com that the building was already incomplete when he arrived.
Building a standard administration block at a rural school costs approximately US$50,000, according to economist Professor Gift Mugano.
Dragon Quarry one of the granite mining companies which has operated in the area for the past 15 to 20 years, has contributed to the project alongside community members who have moulded bricks and provided manual labour.
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The voluntary nature of corporate social responsibility, or CSR, lies at the heart of the problem. CSR refers to the voluntary contributions that companies make towards the development of communities in which they operate.
Unlike taxes or statutory levies, CSR is not legally compulsory. Companies decide for themselves how much to give, when to give, and which projects to support. This leaves communities at the mercy of corporate goodwill.
Mutoko North Member of Parliament Caleb Makwiranzou described the 15-year construction of an administration block period as unfortunate and said companies extend support at their own discretion.
"Corporate social responsibility is voluntary. It is not compulsory. We approach mining companies in the area for assistance but we are not getting much from them. We do not always get a positive response from these companies," he said.
Makwiranzou also noted that the Constituency Development Fund is insufficient to cover the scale of projects communities expect. "Unfortunately, we did not have enough money from Constituency Development Fund to cover it. The little we got went to finish up some clinics that were half complete for some time. But we agreed that in the next CDF we will have to consider Gurure school," he added.
Margaret Chigugudza, director of the Rural Young Women Support Network, which organised a recent media tour in Mutoko North to conscientise young rural women about mining opportunities, said her organisation appreciates the companies' support but is concerned about project completion timelines.
"We appreciate the effort that these companies are making to develop our communities in which they are operating. But we are concerned by the timelines regarding the completion of some projects particularly the administration block at Gurure Secondary School.
"We expect such projects to be completed within a year. It should not take ages because it becomes even a security risk to learners. So we encourage the companies and the local communities to have written agreements with clearly specified timelines," she said.
Granite mining in Mutoko North dates back to 1972 during the colonial era, and the special stone has been exported to Europe and Asia for 44 years, remaining in high demand worldwide. Despite the extraction of millions of tonnes of granite, the area remains trapped in poverty and lacks basic social services such as decent schools, roads and hospitals.
Rural Young Women Support Network monitors told NewZimbabwe.com that learners often struggle to cross flooded rivers during the rainy season due to the absence of bridges. Pupils at Gurure Secondary School and Katsukunye Secondary School are particularly affected. The roads have remained in poor condition despite the community providing the highly sought-after stone.
Rural Young Women Support Network ambassador Rosemary Mutawarira said communities have failed to craft agreements with mining companies that include clear timelines and targets for accountability.
"The challenge we have with these mining companies is that they are not completing our agreed projects in time. We also had no knowledge that we should have agreements in black and white. With the Chinese-run companies, it is mainly language and we always require an interpreter, and we are not sure whether our issues will be presented accurately," she said.
Dragon Quarry operations manager Robert Kelder said communities need to coordinate their efforts and engage all mining companies through written agreements with clear timelines.
"The community has to coordinate all these companies and make written agreements in terms of what need to be done by when. The responsibility to develop the community cannot be done by one company but all those companies mining in this area should be held equally accountable," he said.
Other companies operating in Ward 5 include Natrostone, Zhengshen, ZIQ, CRG and Jindin. Many have suspended operations following the government's recent ban on raw mineral exports, a policy aimed at encouraging value addition and beneficiation. The absence of these operations has further strained community support.
She added: "Our road network is poor. We used to survive on selling mangoes but dust from the operations of these mining companies has affected our mango tree production."
Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Obert Masaraure said the slow pace of infrastructural development at rural schools demonstrates gaps in Zimbabwe's Education Act, which does not define what a school should be.
"A school should have a definition characterising a threshold of infrastructure development that makes the place to qualify. We still insist that our education act must define what a school is. A place with electricity, connectivity, libraries among other basics," he said.
Masaraure described companies extracting granite in Mutoko without providing communities with the support needed to upgrade their infrastructure as shameful.
"It is a shame that these companies extracting our mineral wealth don't invest in social services for our people. We don't blame them because they pay kickbacks to the looting class in Harare. Therefore, we continue to demand genuine devolution so that local leaders can force these companies to contribute towards community development," he added.
Director of Communication in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education Taungana Ndoro acknowledged the challenges faced by rural schools but would not be drawn to comment on corporate social responsibility gaps.
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"Gurure is amongst the schools we are targeting to modernise. We expect that by end of next year, its challenges will be a thing of the past," he said.
Economist Professor Gift Mugano said Zimbabwe's corporate social responsibility presents a mixed picture. "It is a mixed bag. ZimPlats is one company which have made massive corporate social investment. They have a very strong supply chain of a programme where they are helping communities in Ngezi. Ngezi area is now turning into a big town on the back of what ZimPlats is doing, although there is always room for improvement," he said.
Mugano recommended that Zimbabwe remodel its approach to CSR, drawing lessons from South Africa where companies are compelled by law to support communities.
"In South Africa, corporate social responsibility is embedded within a broad-based economic empowerment where they have a responsibility of empowering disadvantaged communities. My recommendation is that companies involved in corporate social responsibility should have tax credits and there should be a compelling case for them to take them as a deductible expense when they spend that money," he said.
Until Zimbabwe adopts a binding legal framework for corporate social responsibility, communities blessed with mineral wealth will continue to depend on corporate goodwill that can be withdrawn at any moment, leaving schools unfinished, roads untarred and children crossing flooded rivers on their way to class.
