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Listening to the voices of resettled communities in Mualadzi, Mozambique
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Involuntary resettlement is a deeply complex and disruptive process, with potential to place vulnerable populations at great risk. This report presents experiences of involuntary resettlement from the perspective of individuals, households and groups who are recovering from mining-induced displacement in Tete province, Mozambique. It describes the context within which mining and resettlement is taking place — a setting characterised by poverty, rapid economic growth, limited regulatory capacity and intense pressure on land availability. In this sense, the study situates a particular set of experiences within a broader historical, political and economic environment. Voices from the Mualadzi community highlight the precarious situation that project-affected people face and will continue to face in Mozambique unless major structural change occurs.
The context for this study is the Benga coal mine, and the planned resettlement of 736 households (approximately 3,680 people). The sub-optimal outcomes associated with the Benga mine resettlement are compounded by the manner in which successive companies failed to adequately respond to social and human rights risks. The resettlement process has so far involved three companies through two acquisitions over a period of five years. The mine was originally developed by Australian mid-tier miner,
Riversdale, with resettlement commencing in 2010. The mine was acquired by Rio Tinto in 2011. Three years after its acquisition of Riversdale, Rio Tinto announced that it would sell the Benga mine and other coal assets to Indian mining conglomerate, International Coal Ventures Limited (ICVL). Although it has yet to complete the planned resettlement process, ICVL has announced plans to expand and triple production over the next three years, which would inevitably involve further resettlement.