Riverbed mining discouraged

Herald Reporters
Cabinet has directed that no mining concessions must be given to companies and individuals along riverbeds as part of measures to conserve the environment, Environment, Water and Climate Minister Saviour Kasukuwere has said.
He said his ministry and the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development had completed consultation on a legal instrument that would prohibit mining along riverbeds.

In an interview with The Herald on the sidelines of a lecture he delivered to students attending Joint Command and Staff Course Number 27 at Zimbabwe Staff College in Harare on Wednesday, Minister Kasukuwere said mechanized panning was rampant along riverbeds.

“We have agreed as the two ministries to ensure that we streamline and come up with what I will term a Statutory Instrument agreed to by all the two ministries to ensure that we do not have mechanised panning which had become rampant, special grants were being awarded to companies and individuals to mine on our riverbeds,” he said.

“We are pleased that Cabinet and the President have thrown their weight behind us to ensure that we do not have a repeat of these malpractices.”

Most miners particularly, Chinese, were using heavy machines along Mazowe river polluting it and exposing people downstream to hazardous chemicals.

Addressing the students, Minister Kasukuwere said Government was working on a National Climate Change Response Strategy that will mainstream climate change issues into policy and practice.

Minister Kasukuwere was delivering a lecture on “the prospects and challenges on the implementation of Government policies to mitigate against climate change and protection of the environment.”

“When it comes to climate change, we are working towards mainstreaming of climate change issues into policy and practice which will lead to holistic rather than sectoral engagement in climate change.

“A National Climate Change Response Strategy is now being finalised and launching of this document is scheduled for the second quarter of this year, 2014,” he said.

Minister Kasukuwere said his ministry would engage local authorities and other partners to ensure that there was no allocation of residential and industrial stands on gazetted wetlands.