The
concerns
were
raised
during This
Morning
on
Asakhe,
a
programme
that
examined
the
depth
of
Zimbabwe’s
environmental
crisis.
Speaking
on
the
scale
of
environmental
degradation,
the
Executive
Director
of
the
Centre
for
Natural
Resource
Governance
(CNRG),
Farai
Maguwu,
said
the
country’s
mining
boom
had
reached
crisis
levels,
fuelled
by
economic
collapse
and
the
loss
of
formal
employment.
“It
has
reached
a
crisis
level.
When
you
look
at
what
is
happening
in
Zimbabwe
today
regarding
mining,
it
is
like
we
have
discovered
minerals
for
the
first
time
—
everybody
is
getting
into
mining,”
Maguwu
said.
“There
are
push
factors
where
the
economy
has
failed
to
take
off,
factories
and
industries
have
closed,
and
many
people
have
lost
formal
employment.
There
is
now
a
consensus
that
the
only
place
where
you
can
get
rich
quickly
is
mining.”
Maguwu
warned
that
governance
in
the
mining
sector
had
significantly
weakened,
allowing
mining
activities
to
spread
into
ecologically
sensitive
and
protected
areas.
“We
have
seen
the
weakening
of
governance
to
the
extent
that
ecologically
sensitive
areas
are
no
longer
spared.
Mountains
are
disappearing,
and
rivers
are
being
destroyed,
even
though
there
is
a
policy
banning
mining
in
rivers,
it
is
simply
not
being
respected,”
he
said.
He
cited
mining
activities
at
UNESCO
heritage
sites
and
protected
areas
such
as
Mavuradona
Wilderness,
as
well
as
destruction
in
areas
including
Shurugwi
and
Poterekwa
Mountain.
“What
is
even
more
worrying
is
that
those
who
should
be
enforcing
the
law
are
now
part
of
the
syndicates
destroying
the
environment,”
Maguwu
said.
He
added
that
in
areas
such
as
Penhalonga
in
Mutare,
some
police
officers,
soldiers,
senior
government
officials
and
Central
Intelligence
Organisation
(CIO)
operatives
were
allegedly
involved
in
mining
activities.
“This
has
gone
beyond
being
an
environmental
crisis,
it
has
become
a
national
security
threat,”
he
said.
Maguwu
further
warned
that
mining
was
taking
place
beneath
roads
and
residential
areas,
increasing
the
risk
of
disasters.
“They
are
digging
massive
holes
in
mountains,
creating
underground
dams.
When
these
collapse,
they
will
cause
flash
floods,
and
people
will
be
washed
away,”
he
said.
He
expressed
concern
over
what
he
described
as
the
government’s
apparent
lack
of
urgency
in
addressing
destructive
mining.
“The
level
of
environmental
destruction
taking
place
in
Zimbabwe
should
be
alarming
to
the
government
if
it
is
concerned
about
the
people
and
the
future
of
this
country,”
Maguwu
said.
Maguwu
also
noted
that
the
shift
from
underground
mining
to
open-cast
mining
had
accelerated
environmental
damage.
“Before
2000,
mining
in
Zimbabwe
was
largely
underground
and
did
not
disturb
the
surface
as
much.
Today,
forests
are
being
cleared
over
one,
two
or
even
three
kilometres.
Agricultural
land
is
being
turned
into
mining
land,
undermining
food
sovereignty,”
he
said.
He
warned
about
the
uncontrolled
use
and
disposal
of
toxic
substances
such
as
mercury
and
cyanide,
particularly
during
the
rainy
season.
“There
are
no
punitive
measures
to
prevent
irresponsible
disposal
of
these
substances.
Mercury
and
cyanide
are
being
dumped
indiscriminately,”
Maguwu
said.
He
explained
that
gold
processing
methods
such
as
heap
leaching
were
worsening
contamination.
“When
the
rains
fall,
these
chemicals
are
washed
into
rivers,
streams
and
dams,”
he
said.
Maguwu
expressed
particular
concern
for
rural
communities
that
rely
on
untreated
water
from
shallow
wells,
especially
in
areas
such
as
Marange
and
Matabeleland
North.
“The
majority
of
Zimbabweans
live
in
rural
areas
where
people
drink
water
from
shallow
wells.
All
that
water
is
contaminated,”
he
said.
“What
comes
from
irresponsible
mining
is
something
we
cannot
fully
comprehend
at
this
stage,
but
many
Zimbabweans
are
dying,
and
will
die
prematurely,
because
of
this.
That
is
why
I
call
it
environmental
Armageddon.
No
one
is
safe.”
Echoing
similar
concerns,
the
Executive
Director
of
the
Centre
for
Environmental
and
Corporate
Accountability
Research
(CECAR),
Nkosikhona
Sibanda,
said
the
crisis
was
widespread,
with
Matabeleland
North
experiencing
a
surge
in
mining
activities,
particularly
by
Chinese-owned
companies.
“The
crisis
is
similar
across
the
country.
In
Matabeleland
North,
we
have
seen
an
influx
of
Chinese
mining
companies
in
areas
such
as
Hwange,
Kamativi
in
Binga,
and
other
parts
of
the
province,”
Sibanda
said.
“When
you
hear
about
foreign
investment,
you
expect
development,
but
for
communities
in
these
areas
it
has
been
the
opposite.
Mining
has
come
with
severe
environmental
degradation.”
Sibanda
said
studies
conducted
between
2024
and
2025
revealed
alarming
levels
of
air
pollution
in
Hwange.
“The
outcomes
were
shocking.
The
air
residents
are
breathing
is
far
beyond
safe
levels.
People
are
essentially
walking
corpses
because
they
are
inhaling
toxic
gases,”
he
said.
He
added
that
health
facilities
had
reported
a
sharp
increase
in
respiratory
and
chronic
diseases.
“This
shows
that
it
is
not
only
the
environment
that
is
being
damaged,
people’s
lives
are
at
risk
as
well,”
Sibanda
said.
