Mavuradonha Conservancy under threat- Villagers

Blessings Chidakwa in Muzarabani

VILLAGERS surrounding the Mavuradonha Wilderness area in Muzarabani have pleaded with the Government to stop illegal chrome mining activities as it is now affecting water supply and endangering their livestock.

The villagers said the mining activities are also threatening the country’s national heritage site, Mavuradonha Wilderness with its rich cultural history including rock paintings, the Mutapa empire and Nyatsimba Mutota’s burial site.

A villager, Mrs Fiona Kwaramba said the rampant illegal mining activities in the area was threating both their lives and that of the Mavuradonha Conservancy.

“We are losing a lot of livestock due to these mining activities as the miners leave open pits. Our water sources are also being polluted,” she said.

“Government should assist us save the Wilderness which is part of us. It’s a tourism site which we cherish a lot. There are special species of animals as leopards, but with the current mining activities, we fear they may become extinct.”