Illegal gold panners “mock” Bulawayo officials at Upper Ncema Dam

CITY of Bulawayo officials and councillors had a startling encounter with illegal gold panners at Upper Ncema Dam after the miners openly admitted operating freely in the protected catchment area, citing weak security.

The dramatic incident occurred during an inspection tour of the city’s supply dams, amid growing concern that reservoirs are failing to fill up despite heavy rains received across the region.

A group of five illegal panners armed with their tools of trade stumbled upon the municipal officials and media crew at the dam.

Three illegal pannera fled while two remained.

They appeared unfazed and even granted interviews to the media and calmly interacted with councillors, in a bold show of defiance.

Chairperson of the Future and Water Committee, Councillor Khalazani Ndlovu, heard that there is virtually no security that could deter illegal miners.

“To be honest, there is no security here; we operate freely,” said one illegal miner.

“ Even if you deploy more security and remove us, that would not scare us, and we will continue operating,” he said with a smile.

When asked if they attend workshops on land degradation, the illegal miner said it would be difficult to round up illegal miners for such an engagement.

The encounter exposed the scale of illegal activities taking place in protected water catchment zones, raising alarm over the security of critical water infrastructure.

Upper Ncema Dam is one of Bulawayo’s key supply dams, and any disruption to water flows poses a direct threat to the city’s already strained water situation.

The local authority says the unregulated activities along river banks are blocking the natural flow of water into the dams, undermining the benefits of increased rainfall.

Illegal gold panning often involves digging, siltation and diversion of streams, which can significantly reduce inflows into reservoirs while also causing long-term environmental damage.

This comes at a time when residents had expected improved dam levels following the recent rains.

However, authorities believe that rampant land degradation and riverbed disturbances in catchment areas are worsening the situation.

This week, city mayor Councillor David Coltart sounded an alarm over rampant illegal gold mining in the Umzingwane river catchment area, warning of devastating consequences for the city’s water supply.

The incident at Upper Ncema underscores the urgent need for tighter security, enforcement of environmental laws and coordinated action among stakeholders to safeguard Bulawayo’s water sources, as the city continues to battle recurring water shortages.

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