By Community Podium
Umzingwane Dam, located in Matabeleland South Province, has become a dangerous hotspot due to illegal mining operations that are causing significant environmental degradation and leaving behind a trail of open pits.
Community members have alleged that operations by Chinese-owned Lee Gold Mining Private Limited have resulted in abandoned mining pits, transforming the area into a death trap.
These hazards have already claimed the lives of numerous livestock and pose a serious risk to human safety.
Once a scenic and safe grazing area, the dam is now riddled with abandoned mining pits. The community of Irisvale is left counting its losses, raising alarms, and calling for urgent action to prevent further tragedy.
The riverbank of Umzingwane, once a lifeline for villagers, has become the site of weekly fatalities. Cattle continue to fall victim to abandoned mining pits and hazardous terrain. Locals regularly rescue trapped animals or recover the decomposing bodies of their livestock.
Irisvale’s ward 13 councillor, Jabulani Makhala, spoke about the dire state of the river, stressing the need for community unity to address the issue.
“We need to come together as a community to contain this problem, but the river is already in a terrible state. The Chinese mining company left pits that trap our cows until they die,” Makhala said.
The ongoing El Niño-induced drought has already devastated farmers, with widespread livestock deaths caused by hunger and thirst. However, the situation has worsened as cattle fall into the abandoned mining pits along the riverbanks. These uncovered pits, remnants of unregulated mining activities, have become death traps for unsuspecting animals.
The councillor, who has faced bribery allegations, denied any wrongdoing and emphasized that the Chinese company failed to fulfill its promise to drill boreholes for the community.
“We were only given money for one borehole. I never signed any papers for receiving money, contrary to what some people claim. I only have papers for one borehole,” he clarified.
“At one point, we asked the company to help the community since they are extracting minerals here. They drilled one borehole and promised to return, but they have yet to fulfill their promise. Things are not going well for their company at the moment.”
Makhala also mentioned that the company had surveyed land in villages 5 and 7 but has yet to follow through on any commitments. “Water is scarce in the community, and this is a significant challenge,” he added.
In a heartbreaking incident, a farmer from Matobo lost 50 prized pedigree cattle to abandoned mining pits. The farmer’s livelihood, built over years, was destroyed overnight due to the negligence of mining companies.
Both human and animal lives remain at high risk from mining activities along the supply dams, where dangerous toxic materials such as mercury and cyanide are present.
In recent years, the Environmental Management Agency has been called upon to address illegal and irresponsible mining activities. However, local communities feel that the agency has not done enough to tackle the issue effectively.
