The city of Bulawayo has engaged Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga over growing concerns about illegal mining activities along riverbeds that feed into the city’s water supply dams.
City leaders say the discussions are part of efforts to secure national intervention to curb mining operations which they warn are threatening water inflows into the city’s reservoirs.
According to the latest council minutes, Bulawayo mayor David Coltart said the local authority had already raised the issue with senior government officials, including Vice-President Chiwenga and retired army general Valerio Sibanda.
“The issue of mining along the river bed is also happening along the Mazowe River up to the dam. This is a clear indicator that it is a national crisis. The situation is worse in Bulawayo,” Coltart said.
He said the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Anxious Jongwe Masuka, had also previously toured the city’s supply dams and a technical committee had since been established to address the problem.
Councillors say illegal mining along riverbeds and in dam catchment areas has intensified in recent months, raising fears that the activities could disrupt the natural flow of water into supply dams and worsen the city’s already strained water situation.
The concerns were raised during deliberations on a report by the council’s Future Water Supplies and Water Action Committee at a full council meeting held on 4 March.
Ward 9 councillor Adrian Moyo said residents were demanding answers about who was authorising mining activities along riverbanks.
“There are big sponsors behind the mining activities at the river beds,” he said. “Residents want to know who authorised these operations and who is responsible for enforcing the law.”
Ward 25 councillor Aleck Ndlovu said the scale of mining activities in riverbeds had reached alarming levels.
“It is disturbing to observe heavy earth-moving equipment being used for mining purposes along the river beds,” he said.
“The city’s water supply dams are located upstream and these areas are now infested with mining activities. Very low inflows are now being received at the supply dams while water demand continues to rise.”
Several councillors called for stronger national security intervention to halt the activities.
Ward 9 councillor Donaldson Mabuto urged authorities to escalate the matter to the Joint Operations Command in Bulawayo and Matabeleland South, saying previous reports had not resulted in action.
“We request the deployment of the Zimbabwe National Army along the river banks to stop these mining activities,” he said.
Ward 3 councillor Mxolisi Mahlangu warned that chemicals used in gold processing could contaminate water sources if the mining operations continue unchecked.
“Dangerous chemicals are used to wash gold ore along the river bed,” he said. “It would be a disaster if these chemicals got into the water system.”
Other councillors said illegal mining had altered the natural flow of water into dams.
Ward 29 councillor Royini Sekete said trenches, pits and heaps of soil created by miners were obstructing water channels feeding into supply reservoirs.
“The supply dams themselves are not affected by siltation,” he said. “The major problem is the destruction of riverbeds which blocks the free flow of water into the dams.”
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