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Govt complicit in Penhalonga's environmental collapse
3 hrs ago |
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The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development is under fire after endorsing the continued operations of Betterbrands Mining at Redwing Mine, despite a 2022 Supreme Court ruling declaring the company's activities illegal. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from environmentalists and civil society groups, who warn it represents state-sanctioned environmental destruction and disregard for the rule of law.
Betterbrands Mining, owned by Zanu-PF legislator for Mabvuku Tafara, Scott Sakupwanya, has faced longstanding scrutiny for its operations, which environmentalists say have devastated Penhalonga. The Supreme Court previously voided the company's "non-standard tribute agreement", a decision reaffirmed by the Ministry in 2024. However, the latest endorsement has effectively greenlit continued extraction, sparking outrage.
Environmental groups say the consequences are already evident. Rivers that once sustained local communities now run thick with cyanide and silt, hillsides are collapsing due to unregulated mining, and schools, clinics, and homes sit dangerously close to toxic pools leaching chemicals into the soil.
The Centre for Natural Resources Governance (CNRG) condemned the ministry's move, highlighting thousands of unlicensed processing plants, unsafe shafts, and widespread water pollution linked to Redwing Mine.
"By endorsing illegality, the ministry has not only undermined the Supreme Court but also eroded public confidence in environmental governance," said a CNRG statement.
"The government cannot claim to champion responsible mining while empowering those who violate the law with impunity. We call for an immediate reversal of this decision, enforcement of the Supreme Court ruling, and an independent environmental audit of Redwing Mine. Anything less is complicity in ecocide."
The controversy raises questions about government accountability and the enforcement of legal and environmental standards in Zimbabwe's mining sector, as local communities continue to bear the brunt of unregulated operations.
Betterbrands Mining, owned by Zanu-PF legislator for Mabvuku Tafara, Scott Sakupwanya, has faced longstanding scrutiny for its operations, which environmentalists say have devastated Penhalonga. The Supreme Court previously voided the company's "non-standard tribute agreement", a decision reaffirmed by the Ministry in 2024. However, the latest endorsement has effectively greenlit continued extraction, sparking outrage.
Environmental groups say the consequences are already evident. Rivers that once sustained local communities now run thick with cyanide and silt, hillsides are collapsing due to unregulated mining, and schools, clinics, and homes sit dangerously close to toxic pools leaching chemicals into the soil.
"By endorsing illegality, the ministry has not only undermined the Supreme Court but also eroded public confidence in environmental governance," said a CNRG statement.
"The government cannot claim to champion responsible mining while empowering those who violate the law with impunity. We call for an immediate reversal of this decision, enforcement of the Supreme Court ruling, and an independent environmental audit of Redwing Mine. Anything less is complicity in ecocide."
The controversy raises questions about government accountability and the enforcement of legal and environmental standards in Zimbabwe's mining sector, as local communities continue to bear the brunt of unregulated operations.
Source - The Standard
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