Online Reporter
Luthando Mapepa
Correspondent
SIXTEEN artisanal miners — including nine Chinese nationals — were arrested last week for illegal mining along Haroni River in Vimba, Chimanimani.
The arrests led to the recovery of sophisticated mining equipment worth thousands of dollars, as police intensified their crackdown on illegal gold panning in Manicaland Province.
The operation follows the blanket ban on all alluvial mining along rivers and public streams, enforced under Statutory Instrument 188 of 2024, which imposes stiff penalties to curb environmental destruction and water pollution.
Under the law, offenders face fines of up to Level 14 (not less than US$5 000), imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both.
In addition, any precious stones, minerals, vehicles, or machinery used in the offence are subject to seizure pending prosecution.
During the latest swoop, police confiscated equipment worth several thousands of dollars, allegedly belonging to an unnamed Chinese company operating illegally in the area.
These include five tipper trucks, a Hino fuel tanker, three excavators, two front-end loaders, a 10 000-litre fuel tank, gold wash plant, 2×600-horsepower engines, heaps of gold ore, a black Toyota Hilux, nine solar panels, pressure compressor, and 2×2 000-litre jojo tanks.
Prior to the operation, gold mining in Vimba had spiralled into a free-for-all, with artisanal miners and the company clashing over pits.
Communities living near Haroni River, along with environmental watchdogs, had repeatedly raised alarm over mercury contamination, livestock deaths, aquatic life destruction, and the danger posed by deep, unclaimed pits scattered across the basin.
The environmental impact extends beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.
Contaminated water flowing downstream into Mozambique was flagged by police from Mossurize District in Manica Province during recent cross-border discussions with their counterparts in Chipinge.
Officer Commanding Police in Chipinge and Chimanimani, Chief Superintendent Edmore Kelosi, confirmed that operations to curb illegal mining are ongoing.
“Law enforcement agents have confiscated equipment used in illegal mining operations, and arrests have been made, with suspects appearing in court. We will continue with these operations until normalcy is fully restored,” he said.
Last week, 11 of the suspects appeared before Chimanimani magistrate, Mr Regis Mawarire, facing charges of conducting illegal alluvial mining.
However, the court ruled that the Chinese company, rather than individual employees, should be held accountable, leading to the acquittal of the accused persons.
A company representative, Tinashe Neganje (38), of Bluffhill, Harare, was subsequently charged for contravening Section 3(1) of Statutory Instrument 88 of 2024, which prohibits alluvial mining on riverbanks, and was expected back in court today (February 13).
Six Chinese nationals — Chen Yiming, Zhu Yuanping, Du Bin, Pu Jianyong, Jia Aiping and Zhang Jiafu — were also convicted for contravening Section 29(1)(a), as read with Section 2(2) of the Immigration Act (Chapter 4:02) – for being in the country without valid work permits.
Each of them was fined US$200 or, in default, faces 21 days in jail.
The six will be released from custody upon clearance by the Immigration Department, which has since issued warrants of detention.
The Manica Post also understands that the Chinese company was recently fined US$2 000 by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for operating in the area without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) – which is meant to identify and mitigate potential environmental and social risks associated with mining activities and help miners understand the project’s footprint, predict impacts on water, soil, and biodiversity, and develop strategies to minimise harm and ensure sustainable mining practices.
Unregulated gold panning in the Haroni basin has led to widespread environmental destruction, contaminating the Haroni-Rusitu Botanical Reserve and threatening local ecosystems.
It resulted in water pollution, killing aquatic animals, and compromised the integrity of the reserve, a vital habitat for diverse plant and animal species.
The unchecked mining activities caused irreparable harm to the environment, with mercury and other pollutants poisoning the waterways and soil, while the impact on local agriculture is also severe, with banana plantations withering due to polluted irrigation water.
In November last year, affected villagers on either side of the country’s border with Mozambique in Chimanimani were up in arms with the illegal miners when they commenced riverbed gold mining operations purportedly without requisite Government documentation and procedures.
In a rebuff, the Chinese firm dug trenches across the road leading to their mining site, and blocked the road using their yellow equipment to stop irate villagers from getting to the site.
The relentless villagers reached the mining site and ensured immediate stoppage of all operations pending a meeting involving the firm, Government, traditional and local authority leadership as well as members of the surrounding communities.
The community complained that the Chinese miners moved their machinery and set up camp directly in their fields without any consultation or agreement, leaving them with no land left for cultivation, especially in Ward 22.
They said rivers have become polluted, while clean water is no longer available due to siltation, and traditional swimming and fishing spots, most notably the Nyakwaa Forest and Pool, once a tourist attraction at the foot of the Chimanimani Mountain Range, have been destroyed.
Mr Godfrey Hlabiso, an opinion leader in the area, said: “There is a company that came to do gold mining on the upper end of Haroni River. People bitterly complained and the military personnel manning the border intervened. We wanted to see their official documents that give them permission to do gold mining in this area. We are aware that Government, through Parliament, banned riverbed mining. Because of their arrogance, five to six tippers were lined up and they dug a lengthy trench in Nyakwaa Forest in order to block us from getting to the area where they were mining.
When we eventually got there, we demanded to see the papers. They then said the papers are in Mutare. We then said they should stop operations forthwith. We demanded that they go back to the people they allege to have agreed and signed papers with, so that they call for an all-inclusive meeting with us. That meeting failed to take place, and a few selected individuals met Chief Ngorima, who advised them that the community must coexist with the investor,” said Mr Hlabiso.
He said efforts to regulate gold panning in the area have been ineffective, with the illegal miners operating with impunity.
The police have often been engaged in running battles with legions of artisanal miners invading the gold claims, leaving a trail of environmental damage as they indiscriminately dig and leave huge open pits in the hunt for the lucrative yellow metal.
Some are accused of wreaking havoc in surrounding areas through their criminal activities, while vendors had also permanently camped in the area selling an assortment of wares, but mostly beer, cigarettes, food and clothes at more than double the price to unperturbed artisanal miners, who are always loaded with huge wards of greenbacks.
