Villagers ask for Government intervention to keep on mining

Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter

HUNDREDS of villagers from Insiza and Umzingwane districts in Matabeleland South are appealing for Government intervention to conduct small-scale mining in their area which is a rich source of livelihood.

The Environmental Management Agency with the support of the Zimbabwe Republic Police recently carried out a raid in the area confiscating a wide range of machinery that was used by the villagers-cum-artisanal miners at an area called Enhlangano. Villagers said they were appealing to authorities to help regularise their operations.

Sunday News visited the area recently and met scores of villagers gathered and discussing the aftermath of the raid and how they can seek Government intervention. The villagers are drawn from Ward Three, Five and Six of Insiza Rural District Council with some coming from ward 22 in Gwanda.

Qinisani Mpofu (41) under Chief Maduna said they were disappointed as mining was their only source of livelihood following a poor harvest due to inadequate rains.

“We will die of hunger as we did not harvest anything. I have four children whom I sustain through mining,” said Mr Mpofu.

Another village Mr Never Moyo weighed in saying they were not a violent community and would want to engage relevant authorities.

“I have 13 children and 15 grandchildren. We were really getting assistance from mining in this place. We have so many children who were sustaining themselves from this project. We plead with Government to intervene. We were chased away from this place. Government should support us. This might increase the crime rate in the area as our youths no longer have a source of livelihood,” said Mr Moyo.

Furthermore, villagers alleged that a prominent businessman was elbowing them out of the mining claims for personal gains.

Another villager who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “I was happy as my children were working here. I was cooking for them here and we were helping each other. We plead with Government as we did not harvest anything in the fields. We are aware that one of the prominent businessmen is behind our eviction here. He once supplied us with his machinery and asked us to work for him but he would not pay us. So, when we sourced our own machinery, he then facilitated that we get raided by the police,” said the villager who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, contacted for comment, Matabeleland South Environmental Management Authority Provincial Manager Mr Decent Ndlovu confirmed the raid.

“I can confirm that last week with the support from the police, we raided an area called Enhlangano. This is a confluence where Insiza and Umzingwane rivers meet. We have warned the miners in the area that their operations are illegal as it is barely 500 metres from the Zinwa reservoir. Our raid was a response to complaints that we were receiving from various stakeholders,” said Mr Ndlovu.

He said according to law anything used to commit an offence should be seized, hence they confiscated the mining machinery. @nyeve14