Mnangagwa sets up river rehabilitation taskforce

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has established a high-level technical working party to coordinate and supervise the rehabilitation of 17 rivers recently declared a State of Disaster, marking the implementation phase of one of Zimbabwe's largest environmental restoration programmes.

The inter-ministerial technical committee will oversee the rehabilitation programme, coordinate Government agencies, supervise the appointment of contractors and monitor restoration works across the affected river systems.

The move is intended to provide a coordinated national response to years of environmental degradation caused largely by illegal mining and other destructive activities.

The establishment of the working party is contained in the Civil Protection (Declaration of State of Disaster: Emergency Riverine Ecosystems Rehabilitation) (Amendment) Notice, 2026 (No. 1), published in the latest Government Gazette.

"It is hereby notified that His Excellency the President, in terms of Section 27(1) of the Civil Protection Act, hereby declares as follows: There shall be a technical subcommittee of the Inter-Ministerial Committee (hereinafter referred to as 'the Working Party'), chaired by the Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet and consisting of the following members or their authorised delegates," the statutory instrument states.

The Working Party will be chaired by a Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet and will include Permanent Secretaries from the ministries responsible for Environment, Mining, Home Affairs, Local Government and Public Works, and Agriculture.

Other members will include the Commissioner-General of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, a representative from the President's Department, a representative of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and any additional Permanent Secretary whose participation is considered necessary by the Inter-Ministerial Committee.

The committee will execute its mandate through a secretariat known as the National Riverine Rehabilitation Clearing House.

Among its key responsibilities will be receiving and evaluating applications from contractors seeking to undertake river rehabilitation projects, shortlisting suitable applicants for approval by the Inter-Ministerial Committee and monitoring rehabilitation works through the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) and provincial mining directors.

The National Riverine Rehabilitation Clearing House will comprise, among others, the Permanent Secretary for Environment, the Director-General of EMA, the Chief Executive Officer of ZINWA and a representative of the Gold Trade Enforcement Unit established under the Gold Trade Act and appointed by the Managing Director of Fidelity Gold Refinery.

President Mnangagwa recently declared 17 heavily degraded rivers a State of Disaster following years of environmental destruction caused mainly by mining and related activities.

The declaration allows Government to mobilise financial and technical resources required for the emergency rehabilitation of the affected river systems.

The rivers covered under the declaration are Mazowe and Murowodzi in Mashonaland Central Province; Mazowe and Save in Mashonaland East; Angwa, Sanyati, Munyati and Mupfure in Mashonaland West; Umzingwane and Insiza in Matabeleland South; Manzimudaka, Mutebekwi, Sanyati and Mtshingwe in Midlands Province; and Mutare, Haroni and Nyamukwarara in Manicaland Province.

The establishment of the Working Party marks the transition from the declaration of the State of Disaster to the implementation stage of the rehabilitation programme, with Government now putting in place institutional structures to coordinate restoration efforts, oversee implementation and ensure accountability in the execution of emergency rehabilitation works.

Authorities say the programme is expected to restore degraded river ecosystems, strengthen environmental protection and curb the long-term impact of illegal mining and other unsustainable activities on the country's water resources.