Govt moves to rein in illegal chrome miners

The Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) has raised serious concerns over the escalating illegal chrome mining activities along the Great Dyke, warning of extensive environmental damage, water pollution, and unregulated exports threatening the mineral-rich region.

According to ZMF, illegal miners are employing heavy machinery under the cover of darkness and setting up makeshift washing bays across key mining areas including Impinge, Bigdell, Mvurwi, Amazon, and Guruve. These unsanctioned operations are leaving lasting scars on the landscape and jeopardizing fragile ecosystems.

ZMF President Ms. Henrietta Rushwaya revealed that many illegal miners are individuals holding legitimate mining licences who have ventured into undesignated zones, taking advantage of the remote locations to evade detection.

"The new illegal mining that is currently taking place is that of a person who will have been given a mining licence and would have acquired mining certificates to mine within a specified area who goes on to mine from an undesignated area, but because it's in the middle of the bush nothing is immediate for him to be discovered that he is mining from the wrong place," Rushwaya said. "As such, they have become a menace to the environment and the habitat."

She further lamented the indiscriminate destruction caused by these operators, stressing that they often lack Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificates and deploy heavy trucks and machinery without regard for environmental protocols.

"They carry out these activities during the night," she added, "causing water pollution and significant land degradation."

The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has also reported that hundreds of kilometres of waterways have been polluted or destroyed due to unregulated mining practices, raising alarm over the long-term ecological consequences.

The government has vowed to clamp down on illegal and irresponsible mining. Minister of Mines and Mining Development Honourable Winston Chitando emphasized the urgency of restoring order to the sector:

"There is a lot of mining which is now being done irresponsibly. It is time this must be stopped and it must be stopped now. The environment and the community should be happy that there is mining taking place in their area and not be sad. The moment they are sad it means there is something wrong."

Chitando added that 2025 would mark a turning point in addressing the sector's challenges, promising decisive action against malpractice.

In July, the government is set to launch the second phase of the Responsible Mining Initiative, aimed at tackling the indiscipline and environmental neglect plaguing Zimbabwe's mining sector.

As illegal mining threatens both Zimbabwe's natural heritage and the livelihoods dependent on sustainable resource use, stakeholders hope the combined efforts of the government and industry bodies will bring about lasting change.