The
upcoming
Responsible
Mining
Initiative
Part
2,
announced
by
Mines
and
Mining
Development
Minister
Winston
Chitando,
will impose
legally
binding
penalties
on
firms that
neglect
land
rehabilitation
or
breach
ecological
regulations.
Speaking
to
the
local
outlet NewsDay,
Chitando
said
the
goal
is
to
confront
environmental
damage
more
decisively,
adding
that
the
new
phase “will
address
head-on
the
issues
relating
to
environmental
damage,
which
will
include
loss
of
mining
title.”
His
comments
reflect
rising
public
frustration
over
pollution,
deforestation,
and
harmful
mining
practices
that
have
scarred
communities
across
the
country.
However,
decades
of
weak
oversight
have
allowed
both
artisanal
and
industrial
operators
to
leave
behind
polluted
rivers,
abandoned
pits,
and
degraded
land,
particularly
in
Manicaland,
Midlands,
and
Mashonaland
West.
drilling
operations
at
the
Zimbabwe
Consolidated
Diamond
Co.
Chiadzwa
diamond
fields
in
Chiadzwa,
Zimbabwe,
on
Thursday,
Jan.
30,
2020.
[Photr:
Cynthia
R
Matonhodze/Bloomberg
via
Getty
Images]
Local
communities
have
repeatedly
raised
concerns
about
toxic
waste,
unsafe
working
conditions,
and
the
absence
of
accountability.
Civil
society
organisations
have
accused
authorities
of
failing
to
enforce
court
rulings
and
protecting
politically
connected
operators
who
continue
to
operate
with
minimal
scrutiny.
Chitando
said
the
forthcoming
framework
will
shift
the
sector
from
voluntary
compliance
to
strict
enforcement.
It
will
strengthen
coordination
with
the
Environmental
Management
Agency
and
require
miners
to
submit
rehabilitation
and
mine-closure
plans
before
any
extraction
can
begin.
The
government
says
the
reforms
are
intended
to
protect
ecosystems
and
ensure
that
mining
contributes
to
long-term
national
development
rather
than
environmental
decline.