Miners Exploit Gwanda Minerals Without Contributing To Development

Gwanda district still has poor infrastructure despite rampant mining activities.

BY VUSINDLU MAPHOSA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | OCT 4, 2021
 
Despite the rampant mining activities, the poor road network and lack of health facilities, schools, and water sources characterize parts of Gwanda district.

GWANDA (The Citizen Bulletin) — Parts of Gwanda have small scale, large scale and artisanal miners who are mostly blamed for the environmental damage in the district. Yet, they are not committed to developing the areas of their operations.   
 
Community members and local authorities are concerned that though mining activities have been taking place for many years, which means a lot of wealth is generated, there is still poor infrastructure in their areas of operation.
 
Audrie Nyoni of Altra High, a new suburb of Gwanda town, says the road network in the suburb is in a sorry state. At the same time, access to water is a mammoth task for the residents, yet just a few kilometres from the suburb, the hammer millers are heard crushing the gold ore.
 
Nine kilometres from Gwanda is the Big Ben mining area where several small claim miners extract the precious mineral from.
 
However, the wealth around Gwanda has failed to translate into development for the Altra High residents who still must walk to the next suburbs- Senodo and Phakama to fetch water and access health care from the Phakama clinic.

“Our road network is bad, there is a lack of water, and even electricity is a challenge. We mostly rely on neighbouring suburbs such as Senondo and Phakama for water, clinic and schools.”
Audrie Nyoni, Altra High resident

“We have nothing here, but we wonder why this is happening when Gwanda is rich with mineral resources like gold. We always have sleepless nights because of the noise coming from the hammer mills close to our residence. Gwanda has a lot of gold deposits, but all this wealth does not translate to development.”
 
Fezile Ndlovu of the Mtshabezi area says the rivers and dams have been damaged by the artisanal miners who dig in the rivers in search of alluvial gold.
 
“Artisanal miners searching for alluvial gold always leave serious damage to our water sources such as dams and rivers, especially the Mtshabezi river,” Ndlovu says.
 
“The sad part of it is that most of these miners are strangers who leave open pits and do not contribute to development.”

Artisanal miners dig under the Bulawayo-Gwanda main road. Image by CITE

Ronald Moyo of Spitzkop is concerned that about a kilometre or so northwest of his residence, artisanal mining activities were taking place, leaving open pits that pose a danger to human life.
 
“The place which is earmarked for the expansion of Gwanda town has pits left by artisanal miners. How would the town expand when there are pits all over? The worst part of it is that recently some panners were chased by authorities while digging towards the railway line and Gwanda–Bulawayo Road and Bina area,” Moyo says.
 
Environmental conservationist Khumbulani Maphosa says miners must understand, “There are others who want to survive from the same environment but using different forms of survival. Some are farming, some are collecting wild fruits, some are collecting medicine from the trees, and some are cattle ranching. Water also for the communities comes from there.”  
 
He says miners must liaise with the local leadership to leave a certain percentage of their proceeds to the community for development and pits filling.
 
Gwanda residents’ secretary-general Simbarashe Tafaranavo says they expect mining companies to help the community, especially on health issues.

“We propose for mining companies in Gwanda to step in on health issues, especially during this COVID-19 period. We also expect them to come in on issues of building schools, classroom blocks, buying computers and laboratories…,” says Tafaranavo.

Gwanda Rural District Council National Resources Officer Jabuliso Masangu says they are worried about illegal mining in riverbanks.

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“The illegal miners pollute water and disturb the natural ecosystem. There is the destruction of roads by these miners who do not hesitate to dig the roads for gold underneath it,” he says.

“We also have schools affected. Some miners are mining within school premises.”

Gwanda Deputy Mayor Phonelo Maphala says the council wishes that the mining companies help more often in the community development.

“We have our clinic stand in Ward 5, and we need help from mining companies for our residents to have access to medication,” he says.

The Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) General Council secretary based in Gwanda Phelemon Mokuele says artisanal miners have no capacity to develop communities because they need to be assisted to become proper miners.
 
He, however, requested further questions on the miners’ contribution to development to be sent on his WhatsApp number. He, however, did not respond until the time of going to press.

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