Harare – The Zimbabwean government has decided to establish a task force to tackle illegal mining, which the authorities consider to be at the root of many of the problems affecting the country.
The decision came at the end of July following the presentation of a report on the phenomenon in the town of Bindura, in the northern province of Mashonaland Central. The report lists a series of social and environmental problems affecting the mining town, ranging from the destruction of roads and railways to damage to land earmarked for public facilities such as hospitals, schools and residential areas, as well as pollution of the Mazowe River, which provides water to farms in the area.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe presented the findings of the report. He said the expansion of illegal mining in Bindura district has had a direct and damaging impact not only on infrastructure and the environment, but also on the lives of individuals and communities. These effects include the spread of diseases such as silicosis, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis, as well as increased drug use.
Another member of the Harare government, Information Minister Zhemu Soda, said the task force will work with various government agencies to ensure that laws governing mining permits, environmental regulations and public health standards are properly implemented and strengthened.
The Harare government’s decision to step up oversight of mining activities is part of Vision 2030, a development plan launched in 2017 that seeks to promote democratization, the protection of human rights, respect for the rule of law and improved living conditions for the population. In particular, greater control over mining activities and their impact on society is part of the plan’s economic objectives, which aim to transform Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy through the exploitation of its mineral resources.
According to the project, the exploitation of mineral resources is not limited to extraction but also includes refining, which the government intends to carry out locally by attracting investment from foreign partners. However, the involvement of foreign companies in the mining sector, as highlighted by Al Jazeera, could have a negative impact on the local economy, particularly on small-scale miners, who are especially active in lithium mining. The problem is linked to the lack of infrastructure and funding available to them. For the government, the involvement of major foreign companies is part of the country’s development strategy, but its consequences could create more problems than benefits domestically.
Small-scale, locally operated mines are not the only challenge facing the government in developing the sector. Environmental concerns remain a major issue. In June, the government acknowledged that as many as 17 rivers across the country had been polluted as a result of mining activities. The pollution has damaged ecosystems and biodiversity in the affected waterways.
In recent weeks, Zimbabwe’s Centre for Natural Resource Governance has called on the government to adopt transparent and effective measures to improve the condition of polluted rivers. Such measures, the CNRG stressed, must not create opportunities for further forms of mining exploitation, as already happened in the past.
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