adminNgoni Dapira Business Correspondent
THE re-opening of the Penhalonga gold mining concern, DTZ-Ozgeo continues hanging in the balance following a visit to the mine by the Environmental Management Agency board who expressed concern on the snail pace of land rehabilitation.
This was revealed during a tour of the plant’s operations by the new Environmental Management Agency board last Thursday.
Mine operations in the Old West Penhalonga area and Premier Estate were listed under EMA’s hot spot areas in Manicaland. These areas are said to be infested with rampant illegal gold mining activities as well as poor land rehabilitation programmes.
EMA board chairman, Ambassador Zenzo Nsimbi, said the intention of their visit was to inspect its operations and rehabilitation programme then compile a report that will be tabled to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate.
“We have inspected the mined areas and we will write a report to the Minister then a way forward will be made. Our core business was to inspect hot spot areas in the province and see whether proper mining is being done in an environmental friendly manner,” said Ambassador Nsimbi.
During the tour of Premier Estate, EMA environment impact assessment and eco-system protection manager, Mr Christopher Mushava, said their soil dumps were too close to the Mutare River channel.
“The problem is that the soil dumps are too close to the diverted river channel (Mutare River) which will eventually cause accelerated siltation. This will choke agricultural activity downstream. This is in contravention of Statutory Instrument 92 of 2014 which started as a Cabinet instrument on November 8, 2013, the instrument which led to the initial closure of the mines. The soil dumps should be at least 250 metres away from the river bank,” said Mr Mushava.
The Penhalonga mine was closed in November 2013 following a Government directive to close-down all alluvial gold mining operations in the country that were mining along riverbeds.
DTZ-Ozgeo director, Mr Ishmael Shillaev, however, said they were working on the land that was still to be rehabilitated when the mined was abruptly closed in November.
He said they were not against the rehabilitation of the land, but resources were scarce since their sudden closure of their mining operations, adding that illegal panning in the area was also fuelling land degradation.
“Business has been down because in mining if you abruptly close a company overnight without notice in the way it was done, you go bankrupt. When operations were stopped we were told we would re-open soon, but it is over two and half years now without a real explanation.
“If it is a matter of land rehabilitation we have done it before in other areas we mined before 2012.
“We need to reopen to make money and rehabilitate the land in question,” said Mr Shillaev.
DTZ-Ozgeo mining production director, Mr Piyo Chiradza, said the company had so far rehabilitated 101 hectares of land with 22-hectares still to be rehabilitated at the Penhalonga farm.
He said several tracts of the rehabilitated land were being targeted by artisanal miners in search of fine gold.
“As you can see we have rehabilitated the greater part of the land we once worked on at the farm, but the problem is that local artisanal miners are invading the area for their panning activities.
“We are unable to guarantee enough security over all the land especially at the moment when we are not producing anything here (in Penhalonga), worse off now that our diamond mining operations in Chimanimani were also abruptly shut down,” said Mr Chiradza.
The company used to employ 457 workers at its peak, but currently employs 56 employees.
Mr Chiradza said before closing, the firm used to produce an average 500kgs of gold annually.
Online Reporter