EnviroPress Reporter
Chinese firms are among four companies that have been forced to halt operations in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe following a government crackdown on illegal alluvial gold mining along the Mazowe River.
The shutdown comes after a district assessment team uncovered environmental damage caused by the mining activities in Wards 6 and 7, Information Secretary Nick Mangwana said.
The assessment team, comprising representatives from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), District Development Coordinator’s office (DDC), and Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA), found extensive damage, prompting the government to take action.
“Four companies, including some owned by foreigners, have now been stopped from operating at the site, and heavy machinery like motorized excavators and washing plants has been removed from the riverbed,” Mangwana said in an update on X.
In Ward 7, two Chinese companies, Jiayun Investment and Ying Can Pvt Ltd, were fined and ordered to vacate the site. They have since complied, and their machinery has been removed, Mangwana confirmed. The companies had affected approximately four hectares of land.
In Ward 6’s Kapondoro Village, Mugodhi Investment, which was also operating on the riverbed, received similar penalties. EMA issued a directive for the company to leave the area after it had damaged about six hectares.
The government, through the Ministry of Environment, Climate, and Wildlife, alongside engineers from ZINWA, RIDA, and the Zvataida Rural District Council, is now focusing on rehabilitating the Mazowe River to restore the affected areas, Mangwana said.
Residents in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe have, as far back as 2013, been struggling with water shortages due to the extensive mining damage.
Joseph Kafura, a resident of Nyandoro Village in Pfungwe, in an interview with State media in 2013, expressed his frustration, noting that gold panning activities have made water in the Mazowe River undrinkable.
“We are appealing for assistance because the mining activities have filled up our river. We rely on this river for drinking water and other domestic activities, but it’s now dirty, and parts of the river have dried up,” Kafura said then. “We are now digging ponds in the riverbed in search of clean drinking water.”
Meanwhile, Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) director Farai Maguwu has raised concerns about environmental degradation caused by Chinese-owned companies in other regions.
Maguwu highlighted the destruction of the once-thriving ecosystem at Boterekwa in Shurugwi district, where Chinese-owned companies have been conducting open-cast gold mining.
Maguwu warned that the unregulated mining activities pose severe environmental risks, saying, “Even if you want minerals, at what cost? Will these Chinese nationals do the same in their own country? This is what should worry the Minister of Environment—not slaughtering elephants!” Click here for similar story
He also accused Chinese companies of exploiting Zimbabwe’s lax environmental regulations. “The Chinese are digging our graves with their equipment. In the age of climate change, this haphazard open-cast mining is a ticking time bomb. The climate will strike back, and it is innocent villagers who will pay with their lives,” Maguwu added.
The destruction of riverbeds, wetlands and ecosystems mirrors the ongoing environmental challenges Zimbabwe faces, with government policies and mining regulations being tested across the country.
