Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike-Senior Reporter
THE Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Ambassador Raphael Faranisi, yesterday said no mining or blasting activities should be conducted at cultural heritage sites anywhere in the country.
Ambassador Faranisi made the remarks while giving oral evidence before the joint Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and the Thematic Committee on Culture and Heritage at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden.
He urged communities to report any such activities to law enforcement authorities and called on traditional leaders to take a proactive role in protecting heritage sites.
Ambassador Faranisi was presenting on Government policies, programmes and institutional mechanisms aimed at preserving Zimbabwe’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage, as well as promoting national unity and cultural diversity.
“You cannot mine there,” he said.
Ambassador Faranisi said some foreign actors were targeting Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage sites, noting that such conduct would not be permitted in their countries of origin, and warning against the destruction of national identity sites.
“Then the other thing also, you cannot do blasting, any blasting, when there are those tunnels (ninga) close by because they will collapse,” he said.
“But I think it also brings me to another point. We have to embark on a publicity campaign more than we have done and that will also help.
“There are so many complaints. We have got very good investors, our dear friends, but they don’t care. In their countries, they will never do that.
“So, it’s not about the ministry, it is about Honourable Members of Parliament, the traditional community leadership, to say anything that you think, even if it is remote, is damaging our culture. Report to the police.
“Fortunately, we are in the same Ministry. They will tell us and they will arrest people.”
