Committee to tame illegal gold panning

THE Provincial think-tank has resolved to form a security committee that will deal will
illegal gold panners, who are destroying the environment and infrastructure.
The committee will be targeting mainly illegal gold panners, who have destroyed the
environment totally, homesteads as well as road and railway infrastructure at
Matshetsheni turn off along the Gwanda-Bulawayo Road at 10km peg.
The matter was discussed and a resolution, during the third quarter of the year’s
Provincial Development Committee (PDC) meeting held at Provincial Administrator’s
boardroom on Monday, October 2, 2023.
The committee will be composed of members from the security sector, police and the
Environmental Management Agency (EMA).
There was heated debate after the presentation of a report by the Food and Nutrition
Security Committee, when members of the PDC asked why the infrastructure and
homesteads were destroyed at the said area without any action taken to bring sanity.
Matabeleland South Provincial Education Director, Beatrice Sibuso Manjere, said
she was shocked upon approaching Matshetsheni turn at night as she thought she
was seeing some ghosts.
“I remember this other day, when I was coming from Bulawayo during the night,
upon approaching Matshetsheni turn I was shocked to see a lot of lights illuminating
the Bush. They resembled some ghosts.
“I only realised, later that they were illegal panners,” said PED Manjere.
Environment Management Agency Provincial Manager, Decent Ndlovu, said the
area now resembles a mini-town during the night because of the lights.
As the Environmental authority, he said, they had been fighting losing battles with
the gold panners.
“It is unfortunate that our efforts to stop these gold activities from continuing to
destroy the environment have hit a brick wall.
“We have on several times engaged police but their reaction is not yielding any
positive results,” said Ndlovu.
Asked to respond, the Provincial Director of Mines and Mining Development,
Khumbulani Mlangeni, said even though the Mining Act supersedes other acts,
miners have no right to destroy infrastructure.
“Gold mining is everywhere. Unfortunately, within a 70-meter servitude of a railway
line there must be no mining activity taking place because we are supposed to

protect that infrastructure both the road and railway line, hence there is need for a
multiple stakeholder approach.
“BBR tried to engage the police but unfortunately these guys operate during the night
when business is minimal,” said Mlangeni.
However, the Provincial Permanent Secretary, Latino Dlamini-Maseko, said nothing
is impossible and Government employees can work round the clock.
“We can come up with an operation. Have you seen or heard of operation Tame the
Traffic jungle?
“Remember that these so-called mtshikatshika have been a menace in towns?
Police are everywhere and there has been a significant change.
Go to Engen garage, sanity has prevailed. So, it is also doable in the mining sector.
Nothing is impossible,” said Dlamini-Maseko.
Meetings such as the one they were having, should come up with solutions and
desist from being talk shops.
“Let us form a security committee that will be chaired by Mines and EMA and code
name it tame isitsheketsha. It will work,” she said.