News / Regional
Gold panning activities lead to closure of school
23 Jan 2013 at 05:13hrs | Views
THE Environmental Management Agency Board of Directors has ordered the temporary closure of part of Globe and Phoenix Primary School in Kwekwe to avert possible danger after the school infrastructure was extensively damaged by illegal gold panners.
An apparently livid team of EMA board members led by board chairperson, Professor Sheunesu Mpepereki, said at an all stakeholders meeting held at the school on Monday that the activities of illegal gold panners within the school premises should immediately be stopped as they were threatening the lives of the nearly 1 000 pupils at the school.
"Some of the structures here could collapse any time given the extensive damage done to the infrastructure by illegal gold panners. We are staring at a possible big disaster that can embarrass us if nothing is done to address the challenge. A number of children's lives are at stake.
"We do not want to be called here again after disaster has struck just after our leaving this place. I recommend that we close some of the structures to allow renovations and maintenance to take place," said board member for environment protection, Mr Devious Marongwe.
Other directors quickly endorsed the recommendation.
The school has an enrolment of 970 pupils.
The EMA board first toured the claim areas where open pits and deep shafts are dotted everywhere, posing danger to members of the public who use roads that pass through the area.
They ordered that all mining activities by Kwekwe Consolidated Gold Mines or any of its subsidiaries be stopped forthwith since their operations "were illegal".
It emerged that the claim holders were operating without Environment Impact Assessments (EIA), a prerequisite for any mining activity to take place.
Prof Mpepereki told the school's responsible authority, Homestake, which through its Kwekwe Consolidated Gold Mines owns G&P Mine, to reign in on illegal gold panning activities or risk having their mine closed.
The professor said it was the mine's responsibility to ensure that illegal gold panners did not invade the school.
He said the mine authorities together with claim holders should follow environmental laws if they are to be allowed to operate.
"The board took time to be on the ground and assess the challenge so that a solution could be worked out. We want to see how best we can work together to help save the school. We need to respect environment laws. A breach of environmental laws is just like committing murder. It is a serious crime.
"We cannot have a situation where one disrupts lessons while panning for gold, destroying infrastructure in the process and you make that person pay a fine of only $20. That is a joke. The law should put a stop to such things. What we have now is like the tail is wagging the dog instead of the other way round. Things are upside down, the law is not dictating things here as it should be," said Prof Mpepereki.
He urged the mine authorities to engage the police and where possible the army to curb the illegal gold panning activities that are defacing the City of Kwekwe.
The EMA board, which could hardly hide its anger, was probably incensed by the sorry state of the whole school infrastructure.
Open pits are a common sight within the school yard and in some places close to the school.
A number of classroom blocks have part of their foundations dug, as the illegal gold panners haphazardly search for the mineral all over the premises.
A zinc structure that for decades operated as a carpentry workshop, had its floor dug all over.
A teacher at the school who refused to be named for fear of reprisals from the panners told the meeting that even their soccer and netball fields were not spared. He said the illegal panners took gravel from the grounds to the mill hoping to get gold, derailing the school's sporting activities.
He said their sporting teams were now forced to undertake part of their practice sessions at Globe and Phoenix Secondary School.
The board recommended that Kwekwe Consolidated Gold Mines come up with a revised Environment Management Plan that spells out how they were going to work with claim holders in preserving the environment.
Kwekwe acting District Administrator, Mrs Melody Mafukidze, told the meeting that the task of fighting the illegal panning activities was not easy.
"We held three meetings with the District Civil Protection Unit and other stakeholders, who include ZRP, City Council and the miners on how best we could save the school, but all was in vain. The meeting yielded nothing," she said.
A Kwekwe City Council representative told the meeting that the illegal gold panners were in the habit of deliberately blocking sewer pipes to access water for panning purposes.
He said the panners believed the sewer water was more effective when it comes to panning.
An apparently livid team of EMA board members led by board chairperson, Professor Sheunesu Mpepereki, said at an all stakeholders meeting held at the school on Monday that the activities of illegal gold panners within the school premises should immediately be stopped as they were threatening the lives of the nearly 1 000 pupils at the school.
"Some of the structures here could collapse any time given the extensive damage done to the infrastructure by illegal gold panners. We are staring at a possible big disaster that can embarrass us if nothing is done to address the challenge. A number of children's lives are at stake.
"We do not want to be called here again after disaster has struck just after our leaving this place. I recommend that we close some of the structures to allow renovations and maintenance to take place," said board member for environment protection, Mr Devious Marongwe.
Other directors quickly endorsed the recommendation.
The school has an enrolment of 970 pupils.
The EMA board first toured the claim areas where open pits and deep shafts are dotted everywhere, posing danger to members of the public who use roads that pass through the area.
They ordered that all mining activities by Kwekwe Consolidated Gold Mines or any of its subsidiaries be stopped forthwith since their operations "were illegal".
It emerged that the claim holders were operating without Environment Impact Assessments (EIA), a prerequisite for any mining activity to take place.
Prof Mpepereki told the school's responsible authority, Homestake, which through its Kwekwe Consolidated Gold Mines owns G&P Mine, to reign in on illegal gold panning activities or risk having their mine closed.
The professor said it was the mine's responsibility to ensure that illegal gold panners did not invade the school.
He said the mine authorities together with claim holders should follow environmental laws if they are to be allowed to operate.
"The board took time to be on the ground and assess the challenge so that a solution could be worked out. We want to see how best we can work together to help save the school. We need to respect environment laws. A breach of environmental laws is just like committing murder. It is a serious crime.
"We cannot have a situation where one disrupts lessons while panning for gold, destroying infrastructure in the process and you make that person pay a fine of only $20. That is a joke. The law should put a stop to such things. What we have now is like the tail is wagging the dog instead of the other way round. Things are upside down, the law is not dictating things here as it should be," said Prof Mpepereki.
He urged the mine authorities to engage the police and where possible the army to curb the illegal gold panning activities that are defacing the City of Kwekwe.
The EMA board, which could hardly hide its anger, was probably incensed by the sorry state of the whole school infrastructure.
Open pits are a common sight within the school yard and in some places close to the school.
A number of classroom blocks have part of their foundations dug, as the illegal gold panners haphazardly search for the mineral all over the premises.
A zinc structure that for decades operated as a carpentry workshop, had its floor dug all over.
A teacher at the school who refused to be named for fear of reprisals from the panners told the meeting that even their soccer and netball fields were not spared. He said the illegal panners took gravel from the grounds to the mill hoping to get gold, derailing the school's sporting activities.
He said their sporting teams were now forced to undertake part of their practice sessions at Globe and Phoenix Secondary School.
The board recommended that Kwekwe Consolidated Gold Mines come up with a revised Environment Management Plan that spells out how they were going to work with claim holders in preserving the environment.
Kwekwe acting District Administrator, Mrs Melody Mafukidze, told the meeting that the task of fighting the illegal panning activities was not easy.
"We held three meetings with the District Civil Protection Unit and other stakeholders, who include ZRP, City Council and the miners on how best we could save the school, but all was in vain. The meeting yielded nothing," she said.
A Kwekwe City Council representative told the meeting that the illegal gold panners were in the habit of deliberately blocking sewer pipes to access water for panning purposes.
He said the panners believed the sewer water was more effective when it comes to panning.
Source - TC
