Suddenly, a group of tool-wielding men step out of the bushes at the roadside. As the taxi continues its journey, more of the men can be seen with pick axes in hand by the roadside. These are the illegal gold panners who have changed the face of Shurugwi.
As a result of the illegal mining in the area, the land has suffered serious degredation. Underground tunnels pose a serious risk to locals, with many believed to have been dug beneath the main roads. In Kwekwe, a classroom at Globe and Phoenix Primary School recently collapsed due to intensive underground gold mining in disused shafts.
Shurugwi, located 350km south of Harare sits on a mineral rich belt commonly known as the Great Dyke. This makes it one of the most mineral rich towns in the country. Chromite, Gold and Nickel are all mined in the area.
Road safety compromised
Boterekwa was named after the winding road that passes through the mountains. It is very similar to the pass near Louis Trichardt in South Africa that was constructed by the same Italian firm. Boterekwa has been a scene of many road accidents with most of them fatal. The most notable of these accidents occurred in 1976 when a load of students from Chrome Secondary School overturned. Only three teachers survived the crash.
The current land degradation caused by the panners is only worsening the state of the roads. Despite the police’s attempts to clamp down on the illegal activity, there are still many panners working in the area.
Hordes of illegal miners arrived in the town when gold was discovered. According to a census conducted in 1992, Shurugwi had a population of about 16 000. Most of the locals are peasant farmers who grow maize. However, close to 600 of these residents have turned to illegal gold panning as a way of making ends meet.
The lack of ablution facilities where the miners work has created a serious health hazard and there are fears of a cholera outbreak.
Formal employment abandoned
Edmore Maringe, the Contracts Mining Manager for Zimbabwe Mining and Steel Company which employs about 2 500 locals in Shurugwi, told The Zimbabwean that most workers were abandoning the chromite firm to work as illegal gold panners.
“Our company continues to offer employment to the people of Shurugwi, but lately most of those who have been with us are terminating contracts to enter into gold panning at the mountain.
“My view is that it’s only an insatiable desire for quick money that they are doing so. We pay competitively, but the workers want fast money and are of the idea that they can make it big if they join the gold panning,” Maringe said.
Locals who also spoke to this paper on condition of anonymity said poverty had driven them into the unlawful activities.
“Some of the big companies which are here require lots of qualifications when employing people. Besides, the money that they pay after 31 days is much less than what we get when we sell gold acquired in few hours,” said one of the panners who refused to be named.
Our wealth
Another panner said:
“It is our belief that we should enjoy the resources that are readily available in our area. It’s our wealth and it should benefit the community. Whether it’s lawful or not is not our worry as long as we get money to put food on our table and send our children to school.”
Environmentalists have warned that if urgent action is not taken to end the current situation, the area will have a disaster on its hands. Phanuel Mangisi, the Environmental Management Agency Ecosystems Protection Officer, said a host of damage had been caused by the illegal panners.
“The first problem we are faced with is the destruction of vegetation. The panners are also using dangerous chemicals like cyanide and mercury in rivers which will endanger livestock and people who use the water.
“The underground shafts that the miners have opened up are also understood to be encroaching into the road, thereby increasing chances of accidents,” said Mangisi.
Infrastructure compromised
He added that infrastructure had been severely compromised by the panners.
“Telephone poles and electricity poles have been uprooted. The panners will stop at nothing to get gold,” he said.
Timothy Nyoka, a local environmentalist added that education campaigns and enforcement of the law were crucial.
“The people there need to be educated about the importance of conserving the environment. At the same time, police should continue to make raids and disperse them,” Nyoka said.
Post published in: News