Miners blamed for infrastructure damage

Marvelous Moyo Gwanda Correspondent
SMALL-SCALE miners are damaging key public infrastructure as they are destroying roads, bridges and buildings through illegal mining activities in Matabeleland South Province.

Participants at a workshop on the dissemination of research findings on small-scale mining and environmental sustainability in the province held on Monday in Gwanda raised concern on the activities of illegal panners.

They said the destruction of public infrastructure such as roads and bridges was worrying as the artisanal miners, most of whom were operating illegally, were doing more harm to the environment and negatively affecting development in the province’s rural communities.

“Public infrastructure is under threat. Illegal mining activities are causing the destruction of infrastructure like roads because some are conducting mining activities about three metres away from roads. This is also putting the lives of motorists and other road users in danger,” the provincial arts manager, Nokuthula Moyo, said.

The project is being conducted by Ali Douglas Research Network in partnership with the Institute of Development Studies at the National University of Science and Technology and Lupane State University.Participants also said some roads had become inaccessible because of illegal mining activities.

“Some roads leading to farms have been damaged by the big trucks used by illegal miners to transport gold ore,” said another participant.

The participants said some houses were also at risk as illegal mining activities were conducted near residential areas causing cracks on some of the houses.

Illegal mining activities have also become a threat to food security in the province that is already reeling from challenges posed by drought, they noted.