Harare, (New Ziana) – Four mining companies have been ordered to cease operations along the Mazowe River in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe (UMP) for causing massive environmental damage, a senior government official has said. Writing on his X handle, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana said the companies had also been ordered to vacate their respective mining sites.

The mining companies, some of which are foreign-owned, are accused of environmentally damaging up to ten hectares of land along the river.

“Yesterday (Wednesday), a District Assessment team made up of representatives from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), District Development Coordinator (DDC’s) Office, Forestry Commission, Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) etc, visited part of Mazowe River in Ward 6 and 7. What they saw vindicates Government Policy to ban alluvial gold mining,” he said.

“Four companies including some owned by some foreigners have now been stopped from working the site and heavy machinery like motorised excavators and washing plants having been removed from the river bed,” said Mangwana.

He said in Ward 7, two Chinese companies, Jiayun Investment and Ying Can Pvt Ltd were fined by EMA and ordered to leave the area after they destroyed four hectares of land, while in Kapondoro village in Ward 67, Mugodhi Investment which was operating on the river bed, was also issued with tickets and ordered to vacate the site after destroying six hectares of land.

“Government, through the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife and engineers from Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA), ZINWA and Zvataida Rural District Council is now working on a programme to rehabilitate Mazowe River,” said Mangwana.

New Ziana