Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]
THE Bulawayo City Council says its operations are being threatened by the influx of illegal gold miners, who have invaded its Khumalo gravel pit, which could result in costs of road, water and sewer infrastructure projects skyrocketing if the trend is not halted.
This comes at a time when the city is battling an unregulated gold rush by hundreds of panners working illegally in various suburbs and targeting educational and business institutions.
Gravel sourced from the Khumalo pit as well as two other sites in Pumula and Richmond is a critical component in the construction of major roads together with water and sewer projects.
The Khumalo gravel pit joins a long list of sites that have been recently invaded by illegal panners in Bulawayo in their unbridled search for the precious mineral.
The National University of Science and Technology (Nust) had to rope in the assistance of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to ward off illegal gold panners from its campus.
Suburbs such as Killarney, Mqabuko Heights, Queenspark and Mahatshula are also under attack from hundreds of gold miners.
So, brazen are the gold miners that, in some instances, they dig for the yellow metal metres away from homes, roads and power supply lines.
If left unattended to, the influx of the gold panners could cost Bulawayo City Council (BCC) over US$4 million to backfill and decommission the Khumalo gravel pit and also result in increased costs to transport gravel intended for civil works in the city centre and eastern areas from the Pumula and Richmond sites.
Council, in its latest minutes, indicated plans to explore ways to bring back sanity at the Khumalo gravel pit.
“The Khumalo pit is the primary source of gravel for civil works, specifically for supplying decomposed gravel used in road construction, water and sewer bedding, and backfill materials in the eastern suburbs and central business district (CBD) areas,” said the local authority. Decommissioning the pit would leave the Richmond and Pumula pits as the remaining sources of gravel and this change would significantly increase the gravel haul distance for works in the city centre and eastern suburbs,”
The influx of illegal gold panners is posing a security threat to nearby communities as well as infrastructure such as roads and buildings whose structural integrity is at the risk of being damaged by blasting of explosives.
“The need to decommission the pit arises from safety concerns for the surrounding community and infrastructure as illegal gold mining activities in the area continue to escalate,” said council.
“The continued presence of these illegal gold miners endangers lives of residents in the area and contributes to environmental degradation in and around the pit. Council is exploring ways of addressing the situation such as decommissioning the pit but at a cost of over US$4 million.
“Backfilling the pit would result in an increase in costs related to road works and servicing stands in the eastern areas, BCC noted.”
To complete the backfilling of the pit within a reasonable timeframe such as six months, the council has said the estimated cost is US$4 108 800.
“The source of the backfill material is presently unknown thus the estimate provided is considered the absolute minimum assuming that backfill materials will be sourced within a five kilometre haul radius,” said council.
To compound the situation, council said, the illegal gold miners are digging tunnels in and around the Khumalo gravel pit. “The illegal gold miners have created tunnels, so backfilling would not stop these mining activities. The cost of backfilling is substantial and the backfilling of the pit will have a negative impact on service delivery,” reads the council minutes.
“Moreover, backfilling the pit is highly unlikely to halt illegal mining, as miners are accessing the pit through tunnels.”
Meanwhile, BCC is also considering erecting a 1 350 metre fence around the pit as means to stop the illegal mining activities.
Council, is however, skeptical that the fence will permanently keep the gold panners out of the pit.
“Installing a fence to prevent illegal miners from entering the pit may not be effective, as gold panners often dismantle or bypass such barriers, rendering them useless,” said the local authority.
Heightening security around the pit was another option considered by BCC, although council noted that it does not have enough manpower and resources to effectively deal with the gold panners.
Contacted for comment, Bulawayo Deputy Mayor Councillor Edwin Ndlovu said council cannot allow illegal activities by criminal elements to disrupt service delivery and increase costs that will further burden ratepayers.
“It’s part of our mandate as BCC to ensure that road construction is done at a cost that does not empty council coffers.
“The Khumalo pit should be left to operate at a cost that will not burden ratepayers so we will ensure that operations continue to run smoothly,” he said.
“Gravel obtained from the pit is also critical in water and sewer projects, which residents expect us to embark on at a reasonable cost,” said Cllr Ndlovu.
He emphasised that council will continue to work with other law enforcement agencies to rid affected suburbs of illegal gold panners.
Residents in nearby Killarney suburb yesterday told Zimpapers that it was no longer safe walking past the gravel pit after dark.
“It’s difficult to see the people who work in that pit as it is suspected that they work at night but as residents we are afraid that they might turn on us for valuables like cell phones and cash,” said Mr Mike Hlanangana.
