Peter Wafawarova

CHIRUMANZU – There has been an influx of people, mostly artisanal miners to Govere in Chirumanzi after discovery of gold deposits by locals in the area.

After news of the discovery spread, the area was soon inundated by people from all corners of the country hoping to strike it rich.

Chirumanzu legislator Babra Rwodzi confirmed the chaotic situation, which also demanded that she quickly steps in to bring sanity.

The area was immediately cordoned off to the public and law enforcement agents were deployed to bring order to the area.

Speaking on the development, Rwodzi pointed out that her intentions were initially misconstrued as people thought that she wanted to muscle out everyone and grab the lions share for herself.

“As the Member of Parliament for Chirumanzu, my mandate is to always ensure that everything l do benefits people of this area and in light of this discovery, the plan is to ensure that it benefits the people directly, more specifically the locals of Govere as this is their inheritance, their legacy as it has been found right in their backyard,” she said.

She further highlighted that all prospecting which would take place will be done in an orderly manner and under the proper mining laws of the country.

“I have already set the ball rolling in terms of the paper work needed to legalise the whole operation on behalf of the locals so that they can start work,” she added.

According to locals the deposits discovered were not very far from the surface and one did not need to dig very deep to extract the ore if lucky.

However, the mining is chaotic and disorderly as people are digging randomly searching for the precious mineral, a situation which has resulted in land degradation, as there is wanton disregard for the serious damage being meted out on the environment.

Clashes and skirmishes for territories also took centre stage and the situation became even more volatile with the invasion of outsiders in the area by a band of artisanal miners from Shurugwi.

Some of these miners have gained infamy and notoriety for their use of machetes and other dangerous weapons against rivals.

Lameck Gomba, a villager in the area was all praises for the legislator as he lauded the initiatives she took to safeguard the discovery from outsiders.

“We are indeed thankful to our Member of Parliament for being there for us and protecting our interests from these foreign elements that had invaded our area with the sole aim of pilfering and plundering what is not theirs to the detriment of the true sons and daughters of the area,” he enthused.

The story behind the discovery of the gold ore deposits as narrated by Muzvare Gwatidzo, a 65-year-old local villager who has stayed in the area for years is both amazing as it is intriguing.

She pointed out that the exact location of the precious metal came in a dream to one female villager.

In the dream, she was directed to the exact spot where the gold was to be found.

Waking up the following day, she visited that particular location that had been revealed to her in the dream and indeed, true to the vision, the discovery was made.

New Ziana