Illegal gold miners invade Bulawayo suburbs

Some suburbs in Bulawayo are struggling with severe land degradation due to rampant illegal gold mining, a destructive activity driven by gold panners who ignore environmental and mining regulations in both open cast and – in extreme cases – deep shaft mining.

Gold panning activities have been going on for years despite raids by law enforcement authorities in a bid to clamp down on rampant cases of violence in such operations.

In May this year, two people were killed and several others seriously injured in violent clashes between rival illegal gold mining groups near Cement Side in Bulawayo.

The fight erupted at Willsgrove East Mine, a registered claim operated by Umguza Black Empowerment Syndicate, over newly discovered gold deposits.

The gold panners reportedly attacked each other with dangerous weapons including picks, machetes, and shovels.

The city has seen an increase in illegal gold panners in suburbs such as Queens Park, Killarney, and Mqabuko Heights, among others.

Chronicle visited the three affected suburbs during the week and the news crew observed extensive land degradation caused by wanton digging for gold on a hill atop a section of Mqabuko Heights, overlooking immaculately built homes.

One of the concerned residents in the area, Mr Norman Mutero, said gold panners invaded the hill a couple of years ago.

“At the rate these guys are digging on the hill in search of gold, one day floods of muddy water will flow into our homes when heavy rains hit this part of the city. We’re concerned for our safety.

“The gold panners have been here for a couple of years and they have devised ways of evading raids by the police by working only at night and disappearing at sunrise. During the day you don’t see them.

“This is a low-density residential area and the presence of gold panners will lower the value of our properties,” said Mr Mutero.

The area where the gold panners dig at Mqabuko Heights is approximately the size of two football pitches and is littered with trenches of various sizes and depths. Cooking utensils and fresh vegetables under a tree shed showed that the gold panners had recently worked at the site. Ashes from a recently lit fire were still smouldering.

In Killarney suburb, at a section known as the “squatter camp”, several gold panners with equipment such as compressors, picks and shovels were hard at work and one panner told the news crew that gold buyers come every morning to purchase the precious mineral.

The squatter camp is headed by a village head only identified as Mr Mthembo who said some of the gold panners are minors who grew up in the camp while others come from as far as Ntabazinduna.

“We don’t tolerate violence here so those who come from other areas know that they are here to work and not to cause trouble,” said Mr Mthembo.

“Some of our children dig for gold to take care of their families. Even if they were to leave this place and dig for gold elsewhere, their job would still be considered illegal so it’s better if they continue working here where it’s safe.”

At a section between Mahatshula and Queens Park suburbs, under electricity pylons, heaps of rubble piled next to trenches dug by the illegal gold panners are scattered all over the place.

Bulawayo provincial police spokesman, Inspector Abednico Ncube, said police conduct raids based on their own intelligence reports, as well as information supplied by concerned residents about the presence of illegal gold panning activities.

“As police, we have our own systems in place such as intelligence gathering combined with information supplied by residents, which we then use to plan and conduct raids because our mandate is to maintain law and order,” he said.

“After a raid has been conducted and arrests are made, the suspects are processed and handed over to the courts for prosecution. I want to emphasise that no one is above the law and as such any information supplied by residents about the presence of illegal gold miners will be acted upon in strict confidence.”

According to Zimbabwe Miners Federation chief executive officer, Mr Wellington Takavarasha, a mine must be at least 1km away from residential areas, be it villages or urban dwellings.

“A blasting licence that a miner must obtain from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development clearly stipulates that a mine must be at least 1km or more away from the nearest human settlements so that when blasting of explosives is done, people are safe from the debris,” he said. A miner must also get the consent of the community where they intend to operate before commencing operations, which is why in extreme cases some communities are relocated to make way for mining operations.”

Officials from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development in Bulawayo requested questions in writing and had not responded by the time of going to print.

Environmental Management Authority (EMA) spokesperson, Ms Amkela Sidange, said mining is governed by the laws of the country and EMA plays its part in ensuring that certain tenants of the industry that border on environmental issues are adhered to.

“Illegal mining activities can encompass both established mining companies and the typical pick and shovel kind of mining. However, EMA conducts regular raids to make sure that miners comply with the rules and regulations that govern the industry in terms of complying with environmental issues,” she said.

“The challenge with conducting raids on the pick and shovel type of miners is that it’s almost impossible as they never wait to be close to anyone whom they do not know or trust.”

Ms Sidange said EMA conducts awareness campaigns in communities and organised mining groups who come together to form mining clusters.

“Mining results in the loss of ecological ecosystems in the form of trees and bio-diversity and from our side EMA, it’s important to make sure that all environmental related regulations are adhered to,” she said.

In April, Chronicle reported how farmers in Kensington, a peri-urban area on the outskirts of the city, were at loggerheads with a local gold miner whom they accused of mining in their backyards and allegedly disrupting their agricultural activities.

The residents of Kensington said due to the mining activities, they recorded low yields as the blasting also affected the water tables resulting in water shortages in boreholes.

The mine at the centre of the controversy was Hope Valley Mine, also known as Gunners Syndicate and was surrounded by about six plots.

The mine has, however, stopped operations after intervention from the courts after residents sought recourse to get the gold miner evicted.