Renewed interest in Mashava, a former asbestos mining hub, due to chrome and gold deposits have had a profound impact on the environment and community cohesion

Trymore Tagwirei

Residents of King Mine in Mashava have called for the establishment of joint committees to provide a platform for community members to raise grievances and monitor commitments made by Chinese chrome and gold miners operating in the area.

Residents said such a platform should bring together mining companies, local authorities, and the community to tackle deteriorating road infrastructure, environmental degradation, and other ongoing challenges.

Speaking to EnviroPress, residents complained that mining activities were exerting excessive pressure on already struggling infrastructure, calling for greater accountability from companies operating in the area.

Fadzayi Mpofu noted that the environmental cost of mining operations was heavy, with dust pollution being a major concern.

“The environment is visibly getting scarred through blasting, drilling, and earthmoving, and the wind blows the dust into our homes. Serious changes to the landscape are happening due to mining, and we expect to see improvements in our living conditions. We therefore seek platforms to find solutions collaboratively,” said Mpofu.

Another resident, Leonard Tagwirei, said that while local roads deteriorated due to heavy vehicles hauling ore, nothing was being done to improve community conditions—leaving residents without reliable access even to potable water.

“The Chinese miners are destroying our roads with their heavy trucks, but nothing is being done for the community. The roads are not being repaired, and we are worse off than before,” Tagwirei said.

These grievances come against the backdrop of Mashava’s long-running environmental and public health challenges linked to its asbestos-mining past. Abandoned asbestos mines and asbestos-containing waste continue to leave local communities vulnerable to hazardous dust exposure and degraded environments.