adminRunesu Gwidi Herald Correspondent
Masvingo Rural District Council is at loggerheads with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development over the issuing of licences to artisanal gold miners who are causing rampant land degradation in the district.
Masvingo RDC chief executive Mr Martin Mubviro said his council was battling to stem the rampant land degradation caused by gold miners. He said council was having problems dealing with the miners since they were in possession of valid mining licences.
“We sat down as a full council with a view to deal with the problem of artisanal gold miners who are on the prowl in Masvingo district,” said Mr Mubviro.
“The miners are causing serious damage to the environment by creating huge pits, which they do not reclaim after their activities and end up posing serious threats to both humans and animals. Council at one time decided to flush them out, but we discovered that our hands were tied because they have valid operating licences from the Ministry of Mines.”
Mr Mubviro said the miners had been causing serious environmental damage in gold-rich areas such as Nyanda, Bhuka and Manyama, where scores of artisanal miners operate on a daily basis.
Some of the gold mining activities have sparked fears among motorists on the safety of major roads such as the Masvingo-Great Zimbabwe Road and the Masvingo-Beitbridge Highway. There are reports that some of the gold miners have dug long tunnels that pass underneath major roads, raising fears they might collapse.
Mr Mubviro said while there was nothing wrong with the operations of licensed gold miners, there was need for Ministry of Mines and Mining Development officials to liaise with engineers from local authorities to make sure their activities did not impinge on the lives of the local communities.
He said there was need to balance benefits from artisanal gold miners and the environmental impact, as gold mining activities had caused widespread land degradation in most parts of the gold-rich district.
Online Reporter