adminREPORTS of a gold rush at a cemetery in Mazowe recently hit made headlines in the past few days.
The area is known for having an abundance of gold ore, in its vast belly, and many artisanal miners have trooped there to get a slice of their fortune.
The discovery of gold, at the cemetery, is an indication that this is an area that is quite rich in this precious mineral.
Artisanal miners are known for their violent conduct each time they invade such gold fields.
Some gangs are also known for harassing and even injuring those who discover such precious minerals.
Other artisanal and small-scale miners have been injured, or killed, during fights for gold ore.
And, each time they invade such areas, the locals are usually left counting their losses.
There is a need to urgently address the issue to ensure there is normalcy at the grave-site and in the area.
In recent months, artisanal miners have emerged as a big threat to infrastructural development and have been accelerating land degradation.
There are also reports that some artisanal miners in Mashonaland West are now encroaching Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital.
This has been allowed to happen as the panners are only concerned with extracting gold.
In Kwekwe, there are reports a school block in the city risks collapsing as the artisanal miners are carrying out their illegal activities under the school yard in the Midlands.
Now that gold has been found, at a cemetery in Mazowe, measures should be put in place to ensure that this site doesn’t become a battleground.
In this case, the cemetery should be protected and more tests should be conducted to find out if, indeed, there are considerable gold deposits in the area.
Reputable metallurgists, through the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, should be consulted for the evaluation of the situation.
Once gold is confirmed, the remains of the people interred at the cemetery should be exhumed for reburial.
Barring artisanal miners from mining could lead to some bloody fights if the area has huge gold deposits.
At the moment, what is needed are the tests to ascertain whether we have gold or not at the grave-site.
The local residents should be consulted in all this and so should the traditional leaders in this area.
With many Africans placing a lot of value on the burial sites, where the remains of their close relatives are buried, this is where the traditional leaders come in.
They are the ones who know how we can navigate such a tricky scenario.
They know what is right and what is wrong.
They know when the time is right, or wrong, in terms of appeasing the spirits of those who are buried at that site and how best those, who want the gold, can navigate the challenge of mining for gold in that area.
What we don’t want are reports that people have been exhuming the bodies of those buried on that site all for the sake of gold.
Online Reporter