THE Oppenheimer family stands to lose part of their 65 000-hectare farm in Zimbabwe because, according to the country’s laws, mining rights take precedence ahead of any other activity on portioned land. Last Thursday, the family secured a court interdict in Zimbabwe to block mineral exploration at its Shangani Ranch in Matabeleland South.
It is a brief reprieve because, in the court ruling, Harare High Court judge Justice Siyabona Paul Musithu said exploration could only go ahead if there was an environmental impact assessment certificate issued by the country’s Environmental Management Agency (EMA). The order temporarily halts the exploration work by Pearline Mineral Exploration. If the miner obtains an EMA certificate work can proceed. — News24