Communities affected by mining activities in the Boterekwa mountain range in Shurugwi have formally petitioned Parliament to intervene over escalating environmental destruction, public health risks, and human rights violations, the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) has said.
The CNRG, a Zimbabwean civil society organisation that promotes equitable and sustainable management of natural resources, submitted the petition on behalf of affected residents.
The petition is grounded in Sections 59 and 149 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which guarantee the right to administrative justice and require the State to ensure the protection of the environment.
According to the CNRG, mining operations in Boterekwa have continued despite the presence of regulatory authorities such as the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA).
Communities report that companies and artisanal miners have failed to comply with environmental and legal standards.
In a statement, the CNRG Information Department outlined the key concerns raised by residents, which have been affecting their wellbeing and livelihoods.
These concerns include severe environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity, hazardous dust pollution causing respiratory illnesses, unsafe use of cyanide and other toxic chemicals, contamination of water sources, including the Mutevekwi River, with heavy metals and structural damage to homes caused by mining blasts
“These violations are not just environmental, they are a direct assault on community dignity, health, and livelihoods,” the CNRG said.
“The Constitution is clear: natural resources must benefit the people, not harm them.”
The organisation said the petition beseeches Parliament to exercise its constitutional oversight role over administrative bodies and ministries charged with monitoring mining development policies, regulating environmental management, and protecting the environment.
Specifically, the petition calls on Parliament to investigate the reported violations and take corrective action, make sure mining companies comply with environmental and cultural protection laws, compel compensation for affected households, strengthen the regulation of artisanal mining and implement urgent measures to protect public health and the environment
The CNRG stated that the petition is part of a broader push for accountability, transparency, and justice in Zimbabwe’s extractive sector.
“We urge Parliament to exercise its constitutional oversight role decisively and in the public interest,” the organisation said.
The CNRG works to defend the rights of communities affected by extractive industries, which the organisation says often expose rural communities to land and water grabbing, pollution, and violence by a combination of state and corporate power.