Tunnels continue to threaten Kwekwe

Munyaradzi Musiiwa, Midlands Correspondent
THREE Government agencies have vacated their offices at a building in Kwekwe which is under threat of collapsing from cross cutting tunnels that run underneath the central business district, it has been established.

A snap survey by Sunday News discovered that Environmental Management Agency, Public Service Commission and the Kwekwe Civil Court have already been evacuated from their offices after the structure developed wide cracks and amid fears the Government building might collapse.

The whole city is under threat from large tunnels left by some mining concerns which operated in the area. According to a letter seen by The Sunday News written by the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing the Government departments should have vacated the building in March this year.

Midlands Provincial Public Works director, Mr Philip Mukura said the ministry noted that the wide cracks that the building was developing were caused by underground mining activities.

Mr Mukura stated that there was looming danger of a possible collapse of the building into disused cross cutting tunnels that run underneath the gold mining town. The building houses about five ministries.

“Kwekwe District Administrator’s Offices is operating as a composite office in Kwekwe. We house several ministries like the Registrar General’s office, Public Service Commission, Civil Court and DA’s offices. The building has developed wide cracks and is visibly sagging due to different settlements caused by underground mining activities. The building is unsafe for use and we recommend that we evacuate the tenants urgently to avoid a looming disaster,” reads part of the letter.

Ministry of Mines and Mining Development in 2014 dispatched a team of engineers led by Deputy Minister, Eng Fred Moyo to assess the intensity of the risk following reports that some buildings in Kwekwe’s central business district and its eastern side were at risk of collapsing into disused cross cutting tunnels that run underneath.