Govt Chases Makorokoza Out Of Penhalonga

The Penhalonga community has welcomed the eviction of illegal gold miners (Makorokoza) who were polluting water reservoirs and contributing to general environmental degradation, a local politician has said.

Mutasa South legislator Regai Tsunga (MDC Alliance) told a Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) Mutasa South virtual meeting on Saturday that the eviction was done after he wrote a letter to the Mines Ministry to deal with the issue. Tsunga said:

We feared contamination of our water and collapse, but I am happy that the illegal miners have already been chased away, so it’s good news and I want to thank the Mines ministry for the job well done.

Tsunga, however, said that illegal gold miners were still a menace in his constituency as they continue to lure young girls into prostitution.

The legislators said he would soon meet officials from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to address the problem of illegal gold mining in Mutasa.

Illegal gold mining has become rampant across the country due to high levels of unemployment. Artisanal miners usually engage in deadly violence as they fight for gold claims.

More: NewsDay