Government Ban Fails To Stop Riverbed Mining
Riverbed mining is reportedly continuing unabated in Manicaland Province, three weeks after the government announced a ban on alluvial mining.
High-ranking ZANU PF officials and security officials are allegedly at the centre of these activities, which are causing significant environmental destruction.
In an interview with the Zimbabwe Independent, James Mupfumi, director of the Centre for Research and Development (CRD), claimed that riverbed mining has intensified since the ban was implemented. Said Mupfumi:
It (riverbed mining) is continuing; It’s lawlessness. They are not accountable to anyone. They are not accountable to the government. It benefits individuals.
It is also happening in Chimanimani. It is happening in Odzi. In Chimanimani, the mining is taking place under the banner of a company (named supplied), which is (allegedly) affiliated with the military. We don’t know where the proceeds are going.
However, the chairperson of the chrome sector in the Zimbabwe Miners Federation, Tafirei Masuma, told the Zimbabwe Independent the named military firm was not involved in riverbed mining. He said:
The said military company was never doing riverbed mining. It was rehabilitating damaged portions of rivers in Manicaland under the guidance of the Environmental Management Agency (EMA).
They were doing it perfectly in line with the requirements of Ema. It never defied the law. It will never defy the instructions of the government because it is also a state institution.
Masuma, however, conceded that illegal mining was rampant in Manicaland but maintained that the said military company’s activities were lawful.
The Zimbabwe Independent reported sources as saying despite the ban, advanced equipment continues to devastate Zimbabwe’s rivers, with Odzi and Mutare rivers among hotspots of environmental degradation.
Mupfumi blamed politically connected individuals and alleged security sector-linked entities for perpetuating the illegal mining. He said:
We expected that after the ban there was going to be a stop and also that there would be measures in place for rehabilitation.
But there is nothing like that. The major concern is the issue of opacity. These are cartels which are protected by political elites.
There are names of people who are exploiting special grants. We have the names. Third parties are showing up claiming that they have been subcontracted to mine by the original holders of the special grants.
Farai Maguwu, executive director of the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) said riverbed mining is continuing in spite of the ban. He said:
It is indeed continuing. In areas such as Penhalonga, we have seen an increase. Small-scale miners have arrived in the area with their equipment. They are digging near the river. Nothing has abated.
There is a need for political will to address the problem. Now, if the senior politicians are benefiting from the environmental carnage that is taking place, it means those Cabinet decisions would merely be rhetoric. We need political will, commitment, and seriousness.
ZANU PF’s director of information, Farai Marapira, has dismissed allegations that members of the ruling party are fueling illegal mining activities.
Obert Jiri, the permanent secretary for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development, who announced the ban, said the ministry has not received any reports regarding illegal mining in Manicaland.
More: Pindula News
