MARANGE AND ARDA TRANSAU COMMUNITY PROTOCOL

The Marange and Arda Transau Community Protocol is a document developed by the communities of Marange and Arda Transau to articulate their values, rights, and priorities in response to the negative impacts of diamond mining and forced relocation. It details the community's deep spiritual and cultural connection to their ancestral land, the environmental degradation caused by mining companies, and the social disruptions resulting from displacement. The protocol demands respect for traditional leadership, environmental rehabilitation, and the realization of constitutional and international rights regarding land, culture, and participation in decision-making.

• Diamond mining operations have caused extensive environmental degradation in Marange, including the pollution of major water bodies such as the Save and Odzi Rivers, as well as the Chenyu and Singwizi streams. Mining companies have disposed of effluent, sludge, and waste into these sources, rendering them unsafe for human and livestock consumption.
• The community reports severe land degradation and safety hazards due to mining, specifically the presence of abandoned open pits and gullies. These features have led to fatalities, including a 13-year-old child in 2015 and a man in 2016, and serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, increasing malaria incidence.
• Forced relocations between 2009 and 2017, carried out by the Government of Zimbabwe and various mining companies (including Mbada Diamonds, Anjin, DMC, Rera, Jinan, and ZCDC), resulted in inadequate compensation. Relocated families received only 0.5 hectares of land, which is insufficient for farming and livestock production.
• Mining activities have violated the cultural and spiritual rights of the Marange people through the desecration of sacred sites and the unauthorized exhumation of graves. The community believes these violations anger ancestral spirits, contributing to droughts and altered rainfall patterns.
• Women in Marange face disproportionate burdens and human rights abuses linked to mining. This includes exclusion from decision-making processes, sexual abuse, and dehumanizing searches by security forces in the diamond areas.
• The designation of Marange as a 'Protected Place' under the Protected Places and Areas Act of Zimbabwe has restricted freedom of movement. Residents are subject to searches, must carry identity cards, and vehicle owners must travel approximately 100km to Mutare City to obtain permits.
• The community demands a shift in environmental governance, calling for the waiver of the $250 fee to access Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) documents and insisting that all external stakeholders engage through the Chief's Court and lower traditional leaders (Sabhuku).

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). MARANGE AND ARDA TRANSAU COMMUNITY PROTOCOL. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Marange-Community-Protocol-Book-2-compreesed.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. MARANGE AND ARDA TRANSAU COMMUNITY PROTOCOL. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Marange-Community-Protocol-Book-2-compreesed.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=MARANGE AND ARDA TRANSAU COMMUNITY PROTOCOL |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Marange-Community-Protocol-Book-2-compreesed.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticendmarange, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{MARANGE AND ARDA TRANSAU COMMUNITY PROTOCOL}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Marange-Community-Protocol-Book-2-compreesed.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }