State authorities have deployed armed forces nationwide to protect rivers and other ecologically sensitive landmarks ravaged by powerful gold smuggling cartels, as officials begin impounding equipment used in destructive mining operations.
A senior official told the Zimbabwe Independent that riverbed mining equipment confiscated during the operation had been moved to secure locations as part of efforts to restore order in Zimbabwe’s gold mining zones.
Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development Pfungwa Kunaka declined to disclose what would happen to the seized equipment but confirmed that members of the Zimbabwe National Army, Zimbabwe Republic Police, and other security agencies were actively patrolling provinces to tackle the illegal activities.
Resource campaigners have alleged that illegal gold mining operations were championed by powerful political elites.
The crackdown comes in the wake of a fresh ban on riverbed alluvial mining announced late last year, following a decade of failed Statutory Instruments (SIs) due to poor enforcement.
With the latest move, Mines and Mining Development minister Winston Chitando appears determined to address the long-standing issue, which has cost the economy billions of dollars.
The government gazetted SI 188 of 2024 in November 2024 as reports pointed to a catastrophic decimation of forests, rivers and public infrastructure by the smuggling kingpins.
In Penhalonga alone, some of these groups are reportedly generating over US$30 million annually, with the proceeds enriching a select few while leaving environmental devastation in their wake.
- Army deployed in gold plunder hotspots... Fresh crackdown impounds riverbed mining equipment
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Kunaka said the plan was to confront illegal gold mining syndicates countrywide and stem a practice estimated to be costing Zimbabwe up to US$1 billion annually.
“Arms of the State such as the police and the army and other security forces have been deployed to enforce the Statutory Instrument,” Kunaka told the Independent.
“We have operations where some of the equipment has been confiscated and being kept at some known place so that they do not keep mining.
“Government took a bold move to ban alluvial mining following serious concerns over environmental degradation and damage to rivers, as well as leakage of the minerals.
“The effect of the ban in terms of the statutory instrument is that mining must be undertaken by registered miners,” he added.
Kunaka said legislation banning riverbed mining also nullified special grants.
“The Statutory Instrument also declares mining titles such as special grants or claims to be null and invalid. Government is expecting compliance with this position and has deployed relevant arms of the state to enforce compliance of the SI,” he said.
“So, the SI is affecting mining but we are working together with the Ministry of Environment and arms of the state.”
The teams from the security sector were deployed in Manicaland to curtail riverbed mining along Mutare River and the Odzi area.
Others were sent to hotspots countrywide, including Chipinge.
“What we have discovered is that mining now defects the protection of rivers and rehabilitation and people are now mining 24/7 without declaring as per our agreement. We had agreed they would mine and at the same time rehabilitate rivers,” Kunaka said.
Thousands of people in eastern Zimbabwe have been left without access to clean water due to riverbed mining, which has polluted water sources with toxic chemicals and caused widespread health issues.
Despite the ban, riverbed mining has continued unabated, prejudicing the country of significant revenue and leaving a trail of environmental degradation.
According to James Mupfumi, director of the Centre for Research and Development (CRD), an estimated 85 000 people in Chimanimani and Mutasa districts are exposed to polluted water and disease.
Mupfumi said community efforts in Penhalonga had prompted state security to intervene, although the practice persists across other regions, including the Midlands, Masvingo, and Mashonaland provinces.
“Over 85 000 people from ward 12; 21 and 22 of Chimanimani district, ward 35 and 31 of Mutare district have been directly affected by the destruction and contamination of water sources as a result of alluvial gold mining,” he said.
“In Penhalonga, CRD led community action to engage relevant authorities, resulting in State security operatives conducting operations.”
Some settlements in Penhalonga were also said to be threatened by the illegal mining operations, according to a report by the CRD.
