Mutare residents living on the foothills of the Christmas Pass escarpment in Toronto and Penhalonga just outside the eastern city, say they are “living on time” as huge boulders and loose rocks crash down the slopes each time miners blast and excavate for gold at the mountain’s peak.
The mining activities, carried out by a local firm, Toronto Mining Company in partnership with a Chinese firm, have drawn fierce resistance from residents who fear the mountain will collapse onto their homes.
However, despite the dangers, desperate villagers still gather at the base of the hill, dodging falling stones as they scramble to collect freshly dug ore they believe contains traces of gold, investigations by Truth Diggers revealed.
Across the country, locals are increasingly at loggerheads with foreign investors in mining, accused of destroying protected landscapes and pushing communities into danger.
In Shurugwi mining activities, mainly by Chinese firms, have also taken a toll on the flora and fauna in the Boterekwa escarpment.
Once an emblematic landmark for the Midlands province, Boterekwa is experiencing significant environmental degradation and physical destruction due to extensive gold mining activities.
The same can be said of a range of mountains in Makaha, Mudzi district that have also suffered at the hands of Chinese miners.
Christmas Pass, a natural mountain range that rises above Mutare, has turned out to be the latest casualty.
The range of mountains holds monumental cultural and historical value to both government and locals.
For decades, Christmas Pass has stood intact, as a symbolic entry point into the eastern border city and one of Zimbabwe’s most distinctive natural features.
At the foothill of one of the mountains, sits the Toronto residential area, a posh suburb under Mutasa Rural District Council.
However, residents say the mining activities have altered the landscape.
Truth Diggers observed widespread tree cutting, the digging of deep trenches along the slopes and the removal of large sections of the mountain’s side, leaving it visibly disfigured.
Massive heaps of loose soil and rock have formed mine dumps below the excavation site, and residents fear these could turn into dangerous mudslides once it starts raining.
Residents’ biggest concern is that continued excavation could destabilise the mountain’s foundation.
With the rains approaching, villagers say loose soil and debris could be washed into homesteads or trigger a landslide capable of wiping out homes.
Many in the community say they are living in fear, uncertain whether the mountain will hold.
One villager, Edna Tambara (60), said economic hardships have forced many villagers, mainly women, to risk their lives as illegal gold panners at the foot of the mountain.
She said they wait for the moment miners extract out ore from the mountain summit, waiting for the rocks and ore to tumble down.
Even though they are aware of the dangers, they scramble to catch the falling rocks and ore, hoping they contain some gold to earn them some money.
“We know we can die any day, but we have no choice,” Tambara said.
“When they dig at the top, and the excavator brings out the ore, the stones start falling.
“We stand there dodging them, waiting for the pieces of ore and as soon as they hit the ground, we grab them and run.
“After that, we take them for processing and that is how we survive.
“If we don’t do it, our children will sleep hungry.”
Another villager Tatenda Tinesi (29) said the mining has cut communities off from natural resources in the mountain, which they relied on for generations.
She said locals were no longer allowed to walk into the mountain, which they used to gather firewood, pick wild fruits or mushrooms.
“We have always survived from that mountain,” Tinesi said.
“We used to get firewood, fruits and mushrooms there, but now we are chased away.
“Women are the ones who carry the burden of finding firewood and feeding families, and this mining has made our lives harder.
“The miners release dogs on us if we try to go up.
“Sometimes our children sneak in to look for fruits, but there are deep trenches everywhere.
“We fear one day a child will fall in and die.”
Another villager Daniel Mukungurwe said even livestock are now at risk as cattle and goats used to graze freely on the mountain slopes.
He said the deep pits and open trenches left by miners have become death traps.
“Our livestock used to go up the mountain for pasture,” he said.
“Now there are holes and trenches everywhere. If a cow falls in, it is gone.
“We have already lost goats. The miners don’t fence the pits; they just dig and leave them open.
“We are losing our livestock and no one cares.”
Truth Diggers gathered that the Toronto Mining Company recently ceased operations temporarily after residents voiced its failure to produce an environmental impact assessment (EIA) certificate from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA).
Community members argued that consultations for the EIA were deliberately flawed, alleging that a meeting was abruptly announced on October 22, 2025 without clear information on who had called it and why.
They believe the move was intended to exclude most residents from participating or raising objections.
Hellen Gutu (36), a resident in the area, questioned why authorities allowed the mining to commence despite the dangers.
Gutu said residents initially believed the extraction would last only a few days, but the operations continued and the risks increased.
“We thought it was just a short project, but it kept going,” she said.
“Every day we saw rocks falling from the digging. There are huge piles of soil dumped on the slopes.
“When heavy rains come, all that soil will be washed into our neighbourhood and our homes.
“We don’t understand why the government allowed this when it is clear people are in danger.”
Among the most affected institutions is Hillcrest Group of Schools, which sits directly below the mountain.
The school authorities have raised fears over possible contamination of water bodies used by learners, as well as the threat of mudslides during the rainy season.
Officials say the loose soil and waste from mining activities could easily be swept down into the school grounds, endangering pupils and staff.
“We are concerned about what is going to happen to the quality of our water if the mining persists,” Hillcrest principal Sarah Shoesmith told Truth Diggers.
“Hillcrest schools have been in consultation with stakeholders to try and understand what is going on there.
“We have our concern with regards to the environmental impact.
“We want to understand why it has not been controlled.”
EMA’s environmental, education and publicity manager Amkela Sidange requested questions in writing, but had not yet responded by the time of going to print
Farai Maguwu, director of the Centre for Natural Resources and Governance (CNRG), warned that the mining operations at Christmas Pass pose serious threats to both residents and the environment.
He further warned that the mountain range is ecologically sensitive, intersecting two municipalities and surrounding multiple residential areas, including Murambi, Fairbridge, and Florida.
“Clearing forests for mining in the age of climate change exposes people to flash floods and other environmental hazards,” Maguwu said.
“When we say we need to protect the environment, we are not being sympathetic to rocks and trees.
“Human lives are not recoverable once they are lost.
“Opening Christmas Pass to Chinese mining companies risks lives and destroys the mountain.
“Residents of Toronto must speak out about their fears and concerns before it’s too late.”
Maguwu also criticised political support for the project, describing it as “the highest form of irresponsibility” and called on government authorities to intervene.
The Centre for Research and Development (CRD) also condemned what it described as the illegal mining activities carried out by foreign investors at Christmas Pass in Mutare.
“The decision to allow any form of mining in such a sensitive ecological and cultural area shows a complete disregard for environmental protection and public interest,” CRD director James Mupfumi said.
“CRD questions how government authorities could approve or tolerate a mining project at Christmas Pass.
“This area should have been declared a no-go zone for extractive activities due to its environmental, cultural, and residential importance.
“CRD further demands that the company responsible expediently rehabilitate the damaged site and bear all costs of environmental restoration, as required under Zimbabwe’s environmental laws.”
Manicaland Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Misheck Mugadza said as the government, they don't want the excavation that is happening on the mountains.
“Those who were excavating were ordered to rehabilitate the mountain. If they don’t do that, we are on them,” Mugadza said.
“The authorised mining on that mountain is shaft mining. It doesn't damage the environment. But then they changed and started excavating. That is the problem, and we stopped them through EMA.
“They can continue mining after rehabilitation, but as long as they are doing shaft mining, no one would stop them. You won't even see the shaft.
“Over the years, there has been shaft mining, but no one was noticing. They must simply rehabilitate and put the mountain back to its former state.”
*This article was produced by Truth Diggers, an investigative journalism unit under Alpha Media Holdings (AMH), publishers of NewsDay, Zim Independent, The Standard and Southern Eye. AMH also operates an online broadcasting channel, H&Stv.