News / Local
Miners wreak havoc on roads
13 Jan 2024 at 01:48hrs | Views
GOVERNMENT has expressed shock after illegal gold miners dug a four-metre tunnel under a section of the Gwanda-Beitbridge Road as vandalism of national infrastructure persists.
Road and railway infrastructure is increasingly under threat in the southern region where rampant gold panning is concentrated amid calls for tough measures to be taken to bring the culprits to book.
In the latest incident, gold panners are said to have dug the section of the highway at the 144,7km peg between Gwanda and Collen Bawn.
Masvingo-Mbalabala Road, other sections of Bulawayo Beitbridge Road, Maphisa-Mphoengs Road, Old Gwanda Road and Makwe Road under the jurisdiction of the Gwanda Rural District Council are part of the road network that has been damaged by the illegal gold miners.
The miners have also damaged parts of the Bulawayo Beitbridge railway track.
Following the latest incident, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has reacted swiftly by implementing emergency backfilling to prevent the road from collapsing. In a statement, the ministry expressed concern over the increasing vandalism of national transport infrastructure.
"The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development has noted with great concern the numerous cases of illegal mining on the road and railway track servitudes with the recent case in Matabeleland South Province, which has recorded various cases of illegal mining on the road at the 144,7km peg between Gwanda and Collen Bawn," reads the statement.
"Illegal miners tunnelled through around close to 4m under the road surface, and a crack emerged directly above the tunnel due to heavy rains."
An inter-governmental team has been dispatched to conduct an assessment tour of the vandalism to the road network.
The ministry said the Department of Roads, Environmental Management Agency, Ministry of Mines and Mining Development were part of the agencies that were part of the joint investigation.
It encouraged the public to report those seen vandalising the national infrastructure.
"As an interim remedial intervention, the Department of Roads managed to backfill all the openings to prevent rain-water runoff from infiltrating the ground through the opening and erected a signage to alert motorists to exercise extreme caution as they go through the section of the road," reads the statement.
"The ministry would like to encourage the general public not to vandalise public infrastructure as this is detrimental to the country's development.
"Furthermore, we would like to appeal to the public to report such activities so that the culprits will be brought before justice."
Road and railway infrastructure is increasingly under threat in the southern region where rampant gold panning is concentrated amid calls for tough measures to be taken to bring the culprits to book.
In the latest incident, gold panners are said to have dug the section of the highway at the 144,7km peg between Gwanda and Collen Bawn.
Masvingo-Mbalabala Road, other sections of Bulawayo Beitbridge Road, Maphisa-Mphoengs Road, Old Gwanda Road and Makwe Road under the jurisdiction of the Gwanda Rural District Council are part of the road network that has been damaged by the illegal gold miners.
The miners have also damaged parts of the Bulawayo Beitbridge railway track.
Following the latest incident, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has reacted swiftly by implementing emergency backfilling to prevent the road from collapsing. In a statement, the ministry expressed concern over the increasing vandalism of national transport infrastructure.
"The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development has noted with great concern the numerous cases of illegal mining on the road and railway track servitudes with the recent case in Matabeleland South Province, which has recorded various cases of illegal mining on the road at the 144,7km peg between Gwanda and Collen Bawn," reads the statement.
An inter-governmental team has been dispatched to conduct an assessment tour of the vandalism to the road network.
The ministry said the Department of Roads, Environmental Management Agency, Ministry of Mines and Mining Development were part of the agencies that were part of the joint investigation.
It encouraged the public to report those seen vandalising the national infrastructure.
"As an interim remedial intervention, the Department of Roads managed to backfill all the openings to prevent rain-water runoff from infiltrating the ground through the opening and erected a signage to alert motorists to exercise extreme caution as they go through the section of the road," reads the statement.
"The ministry would like to encourage the general public not to vandalise public infrastructure as this is detrimental to the country's development.
"Furthermore, we would like to appeal to the public to report such activities so that the culprits will be brought before justice."
Source - The Chronicle
