Online Reporter
Samuel Kadungure
News editor
A PROVINCIAL technical committee has unveiled a comprehensive, site-specific rehabilitation blueprint for four rivers in Manicaland — Save, Mutare, Nyamukwarara, and Haroni — which President Mnangagwa recently declared a state of disaster after years of devastation caused by rampant illegal gold mining.
These rivers, once lifelines for communities and ecosystems, have endured severe degradation: polluted waters, heavy siltation, collapsed channels, and disrupted aquatic habitats.
The scale of destruction prompted the Government to formalise the disaster declaration through the Civil Protection (Declaration of State of Disaster: Emergency Riverine Ecosystems Rehabilitation) Notice, 2026, published in an Extraordinary Government Gazette last week.
The Statutory Instrument empowers authorities to mobilise emergency resources, appoint multiple contractors, and coordinate large-scale restoration efforts.
Minister of State for Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Advocate Misheck Mugadza, confirmed that a provincial technical committee has mapped out a clear roadmap for rehabilitators.
The committee brings together key institutions — the Environmental Management Agency, Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA), the ministries of Lands and Mines, and Minister Mugadza’s Office — ensuring a multi-sectoral approach to recovery.
The disaster declaration unlocks emergency funding and coordination powers for restoration work.
Rehabilitation will target silt removal, channel restoration and ecosystem recovery across the affected rivers.
“The situation regarding the rehabilitation of degraded rivers in Manicaland is the same as the whole country. There is an inter-ministerial committee running the programme. Of late, two Statutory Instruments (SIs) have been promulgated (SI91 of 2026 and SI92 of 2026). These are the guidelines we have been waiting for to guide the manner in which the rehabilitation will be done,” said Minister Mugadza, adding that companies with experience and capacity have been invited to apply for the work.
“We have invited companies capable of doing rehabilitation, with experience and means, to submit their applications. Some applied last year, some are still applying, and the SIs have put in place a clearing house at national level that will select companies to be assigned to each river. In Manicaland, four rivers are earmarked for rehabilitation. At the moment we are waiting for the clearing house to do its work, after which these companies will be referred to us, following which we will sit down with them,” said Minister Mugadza.
He said a provincial technical committee has already produced site-specific rehabilitation plans.
“The technical committee has already put in place a programme that is supposed to be followed by the rehabilitators,” he said.
Chief Mutasa, whose area straddles Mutare and Nyamukwarara rivers, blamed illegal alluvial mining, and the sidelining of traditional leaders in the allocation of mining claims and rehabilitation works.
“What destroyed these rivers is illegal alluvial mining. The problem is that when it comes to mining, as traditional leaders we do not have control over it. The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development just issues licences, and when one gets that authorisation, they start mining, and as traditional leaders there is nothing we can do about it,” said Chief Mutasa, adding that they are excluded from the technical committee despite being custodians of the water channels.
“Look at the composition of the committee itself, it is telling because it excludes traditional leaders. They overlook us, thinking we are unschooled because it is bookish, yet the issue of these rivers is more traditional than technical. Our ancestors preside over these rivers, yet they are setting up committees for Mutare and Nyamukwarara without including us. We know the sacred pools along the rivers. We have lasting solutions to these problems, but they did not consult us. We know which areas should not be tampered with because of our traditional and cultural importance. We have spirit mediums that operate from those pools,” said Chief Mutasa.
Meanwhile, police have intensified a crackdown on illegal gold panning in Manicaland.
Recently, hundreds of artisanal miners — including nine Chinese nationals — were arrested for illegal mining along Mutare and Haroni River in Vimba, Chimanimani.
Sophisticated mining equipment worth thousands of dollars was recovered.
The operation follows a blanket ban on alluvial mining along rivers and public streams under Statutory Instrument 188 of 2024.
The law imposes fines of up to Level 14, not less than US$5 000, imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both. Any minerals, vehicles or machinery used in the offence are subject to seizure.
Communities near Haroni River and environmental watchdogs have repeatedly raised alarm over mercury contamination, livestock deaths, aquatic life destruction and unclaimed pits across the basin. The environmental impact extends beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.
A Chinese company was recently fined US$2 000 by EMA for operating in the area without an Environmental Impact Assessment, which identifies and mitigates potential environmental and social risks, helping miners understand a project’s footprint, predict impacts on water, soil and biodiversity, and develop strategies to minimise harm.
Unregulated gold panning in the Haroni basin has caused widespread environmental destruction, contaminating the Haroni-Rusitu Botanical Reserve and threatening local ecosystems.
The unchecked activities have polluted waterways, killing aquatic life and compromising the integrity of the reserve, a vital habitat for diverse plant and animal species.
Mercury and other pollutants have poisoned water and soil, while local agriculture has also suffered. Banana plantations are withering due to polluted irrigation water.
The community said rivers have become polluted and clean water is no longer available due to siltation.
Traditional swimming and fishing spots, most notably Nyakwaa Forest and Pool, once a tourist attraction at the foot of the Chimanimani Mountain Range, have been destroyed.
