Bulawayo councillors say they are being threatened with violence and political reprisals for speaking out about illegal mining activities blamed for severe land degradation in dam catchment areas that supply the city with water.
The claims were made during a full council meeting on Wednesday, where councillors debated a report by the Future Water Supplies and Action Water Committee following a tour of supply dams in Matabeleland South on Friday.
Councillors warned that the city council has limited authority to confront the problem, despite mounting evidence that illegal mining is taking place close to key water sources.
Ward 3 councillor Mxolisi Mahlangu said councillors who raise concerns about mining in catchment areas are often intimidated into silence.
“I don’t think there’s ever been a more difficult time to be a councillor than now,” he told the meeting. “You have to balance saying the right things in chambers so that your continued stay isn’t threatened by recalls or other pressures.”
He said some councillors receive phone calls warning them to stop speaking about illegal mining or risk losing their lives.
“When you speak out against such things you receive phone calls from all over, threatening people with actions if they still want their lives,” Cllr Mahlangu said.
He also criticised what he described as excessive central government interference in council affairs, while failing to intervene when serious threats emerge.
“The ministry of local government tells us to leave vendors alone and gives instructions on issues we are already skilled in,” he said. “But when life-threatening interventions are needed, there is silence from all sectors.”
Cllr Mahlangu warned that illegal miners were using mercury and other hazardous substances near dams, posing serious health risks.
“They take mercury to clean their gold right by our dams. Mercury is lethal and can lead to other serious health problems,” he said.
Ward 9 councillor Donaldson Mabuto said mining in catchment areas was endangering public health and worsening Bulawayo’s chronic water shortages.
“If we don’t address issues in one area, we will continue to suffer as a city,” he said, alleging that some people in positions of authority were sponsoring illegal mining.
He called for stronger security intervention, including the deployment of soldiers along riverbanks, to stop the activities.
“In all these illegal mines, cyanide and other chemicals are being dumped into our dams. It’s chaos,” Cllr Mabuto said.
Bulawayo has for years struggled with water scarcity, relying on supply dams in Matabeleland South, which local officials say are increasingly under threat from mining, farming and settlement in protected catchment areas.
The city council says it will forward its concerns to central government and relevant law-enforcement agencies, as pressure mounts for decisive action to protect the city’s water sources.
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