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| Illegal mining along Mutare River |
Felix Matasva
MUTARE – Africa
University (AU) has been challenged to conduct action research to mitigate the
negative impact of illegal small scale mining in Penhalonga, Odzi and Old
Mutare; TellZim News can report.
Chaotic
artisanal gold mining operations are threatening the environment and resettled
farmers are now at great peril due to pollution of Mutare River.
The
river is a source of water for irrigation purposes in Mutasa South constituency
but with high levels of unemployment in the area, all roads seem to lead to
Odzi, Old Mutare and Penhalonga where illegal mining activities are rampant.
As
a result, the presence of gold in this part of the country has become a curse
to many farmers who produce food and cash crops like maize, tobacco, wheat and
potatoes for supply to markets in Mutare city and beyond.
Speaking
at a Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ)-facilitated community reporting press
club discussion in Penhalonga recently, Mutasa South MP Regai Tsunga said universities
were significant institutions that must devise solutions to problems
encountered by the country.
“Institutions
of higher learning must not just identify problems in society but they must
also engage in action research that will provide solutions. AU has already
identified environmental degradation, prostitution, transactional sex among youths
and drug abuse as some of the effects of gold mining in areas surrounding its
campus.
“The
university must then develop alternative solutions and pick out the best that
are progressive in moving our country forward. As much as gold miners are
accruing profits from extraction of natural resources, we must ensure that
there is environmental sustainability.
“An
all stakeholders meeting must therefore be convened in order to find a
sustainable solution to effects of mining for the benefit of AU and Mutasa
South constituency,” said Tsunga.
AU
Dean of Students, George Miti later told TellZim News that the university faced
an existential threat due to reckless mining activities.
“We
believe in engagement as an institution and we engaged artisanal miners
operating close to our campus. We shared knowledge with artisanal miners about
chemicals they use, dangers associated with unprotected pits and reproductive
health issues. While they are trying to eke out an honest living, they are also
endangering the same livelihoods,” said Miti.
He
said AU’s farming operations were now in jeopardy due to pollution of Mutare River
by gold miners in Penhalonga and Old Mutare along Mutare River.
“The
water is no longer safe for crop irrigation as it is too muddy thereby
affecting our pumping system on a daily basis. The farm provides employment to
community members and it produces a lot of major food crops to Manicaland and
the country at large. We fear for the health of our customers as we suspect
that miners are disposing mercury in Mutare River,” said Miti.
Penhalonga
Residents and Ratepayers Trust (PRRT) chairperson Westone Makoni said there was
need for an inter-ministerial taskforce that will intervene in order to rectify
problems induced by mining.
“Redwing
Mine has got a new contractor who has moved a lot of earth at Liverpool. As
residents of Penhalonga, we fear that when the rains come, all that soil will
be deposited into Mutare River. The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) must
intervene before the river gets destroyed,” said Makoni.
