Bryden School in Chegutu battles Chinese firm

Published: 2 hours ago

Bryden Country School in Chegutu is embroiled in a heated legal battle with Chinese-owned Shuntai Holdings over the construction of a lime and cement factory just 497 metres from its boundary - a project parents, teachers, and education leaders warn poses grave health and environmental risks to pupils.

In a circular issued to parents last week, Bryden's Board of Governors outlined a timeline of events dating back to February, when Shuntai first disclosed its plans. Despite strong objections from the school, parents, and other stakeholders, construction has continued in open defiance of a High Court order halting the project.

"We found there was no supporting documentation for Shuntai to operate in this Zone earmarked for Education," the board wrote, noting that Springs of Grace, the Seventh Day Adventist Secondary School, and a university are also located within the affected area.

The school says it lodged multiple objections against Shuntai's Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report, claiming it failed to address key health and safety concerns. Nonetheless, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) went ahead and granted the company a certificate in April, prompting Bryden to take legal action against the regulator. A subsequent High Court order compelled EMA to disclose the basis of its decision - only for the same contested report to be produced.

In the meantime, parents and pupils say they are already feeling the effects of the development, citing choking dust, noxious fumes, blasting operations, and constant noise from heavy machinery.

On July 25, a High Court judge visited the site and later ruled that Shuntai was in contempt of the original stop-work order. However, the school insists that construction has continued unabated.

Former Education Minister David Coltart condemned the developments, describing the situation as "simply outrageous."

"How can we allow one of our finest schools to be threatened in this manner by a Chinese company which will rape our resources, expend them all, shift their profits to China, and then move back to China to enjoy them - all while one of our finest educational institutions is destroyed?" Coltart said. "This must stop. We need firm Government action to end this thuggery."

Bryden's board has urged parents and stakeholders to rally behind the institution in its legal battle, warning that the very future of generations of learners is on the line.
- zimlive