daniel chigunweTHE Government has moved in to stamp out illegal mining operations causing extensive damage in Mashonaland Central province’s Mazowe River.
A mine that was operating along the river has been shut down by the Government for two weeks for diverting from its environmental rehabilitation mandate through river bed mining, and allowing proper rehabilitation work to resume under supervision.
Site manager Mr Artwell Hove denied any wrongdoing, saying the company was doing rehabilitation work. “People talk. We don’t argue with people. We are doing rehabilitation,” he said.
The Government was forced to intervene after the rehabilitation turned out to be a full-scale river bed mining operation causing nightmares for residents who could no longer access water.
“We are taking stern measures against this. We cannot dismiss them to leave this as it is. We have given them two weeks to rectify this under close supervision of EMA and I’m bringing the head office team here because they needed to properly supervise this along with a task force team set up by the provincial mandate,” said the Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Mangaliso Ndlovu.
Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Senator Monica Mavhunga also said, “If there are any area to be mined we encourage people to have proper papers and be licensed by authorities. Yes, the wealth is ours below the ground and on top, but let’s exploit those minerals responsibly.”
There is also illegal mining activity at other sites along the Mazowe River and the illegal miners have been put on notice, amid investigations.
River bed mining was outlawed for causing environmental degradation.
In 2021, the government engaged companies that could rehabilitate river ecosystems using their resources to reverse damage caused to the environment.
— ZBC
Online Reporter