The
CNRG,
a
Zimbabwean
civil
society
organisation
that
promotes
equitable
and
sustainable
management
of
natural
resources,
submitted
the
petition
on
behalf
of
affected
residents.
The
petition
is
grounded
in
Sections
59
and
149
of
the
Constitution
of
Zimbabwe,
which
guarantee
the
right
to
administrative
justice
and
require
the
State
to
ensure
the
protection
of
the
environment.
According
to
the
CNRG,
mining
operations
in
Boterekwa
have
continued
despite
the
presence
of
regulatory
authorities
such
as
the
Ministry
of
Mines
and
Mining
Development
and
the
Environmental
Management
Agency
(EMA).
Communities
report
that
companies
and
artisanal
miners
have
failed
to
comply
with
environmental
and
legal
standards.
In
a
statement,
the
CNRG
Information
Department
outlined
the
key
concerns
raised
by
residents,
which
have
been
affecting
their
wellbeing
and
livelihoods.
These
concerns
include
severe
environmental
degradation
and
loss
of
biodiversity,
hazardous
dust
pollution
causing
respiratory
illnesses,
unsafe
use
of
cyanide
and
other
toxic
chemicals,
contamination
of
water
sources,
including
the
Mutevekwi
River,
with
heavy
metals
and
structural
damage
to
homes
caused
by
mining
blasts
“These
violations
are
not
just
environmental,
they
are
a
direct
assault
on
community
dignity,
health,
and
livelihoods,”
the
CNRG
said.
“The
Constitution
is
clear:
natural
resources
must
benefit
the
people,
not
harm
them.”
The
organisation
said
the
petition
beseeches
Parliament
to
exercise
its
constitutional
oversight
role
over
administrative
bodies
and
ministries
charged
with
monitoring
mining
development
policies,
regulating
environmental
management,
and
protecting
the
environment.
Specifically,
the
petition
calls
on
Parliament
to
investigate
the
reported
violations
and
take
corrective
action,
make
sure
mining
companies
comply
with
environmental
and
cultural
protection
laws,
compel
compensation
for
affected
households,
strengthen
the
regulation
of
artisanal
mining
and
implement
urgent
measures
to
protect
public
health
and
the
environment
The
CNRG
stated
that
the
petition
is
part
of
a
broader
push
for
accountability,
transparency,
and
justice
in
Zimbabwe’s
extractive
sector.
“We
urge
Parliament
to
exercise
its
constitutional
oversight
role
decisively
and
in
the
public
interest,”
the
organisation
said.
The
CNRG
works
to
defend
the
rights
of
communities
affected
by
extractive
industries,
which
the
organisation
says
often
expose
rural
communities
to
land
and
water
grabbing,
pollution,
and
violence
by
a
combination
of
state
and
corporate
power.