Online Reporter
Conrad Mupesa-Mashonaland West Bureau
FARMERS in Mhangura are up in arms with a local mining firm trapping gold deposits using the cyanidation process at Chiridza Farm, following the death of livestock recently.
The name of the mining firm could not be verified, but officials from the Veterinary Services Department in Mhangura visited the farm on Tuesday, where five beasts had died after being exposed to an unmanned cyanide dipping plant.
An official identified as Mr Stanley Chinyoka warned farmers on the Mhangura Farmers WhatsApp group to monitor their livestock
“On our visit to the site yesterday, we discovered an unmanned and unsecured premise without any fence,” the official said.
“The observation by the team showed that two of the animals died within 10 metres of the tanks.
“There was no personnel on site and the perimeter fence. There were cattle and goats that were grazing close to the plant.”
This, the official said, posed great danger to the community and their livestock.
Environmental Management Agency (EMA) provincial spokesperson, Mr Munyaradzi Nhariswa, professed ignorance over the incident before confirming that a team would be deployed to the area to investigate the incident.
Most farmers in Mhangura and the surrounding areas have lost livestock to unsustainable mining practices, with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development currently engaging artisanal and small-scale miners on safe operations to save lives and the environment.
