Harare, (New Ziana) -Zimbabwe will not be able to meet its target to finish removing landmines throughout the country by the end of this year due to lack of adequate funding, a Cabinet Minister said on Tuesday.
Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said this while addressing a national stakeholders dialogue on humanitarian demining and mine victim assistance.
She said although significant progress has been made towards making Zimbabwe a mine free zone, funding has been a major challenge.
“Our projection was to complete demining by December 2025. This is no longer realizable due to challenges associated with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and fluctuations in funding from the international donor community,” she said.
“As a result, we are working on submitting another three-year Extension Request to the Secretariat of the Treaty,” she said.
Muchinguri-Kashiri said the funding gap as at September 2024 and completion of mine clearance in Zimbabwe by 2028 was US$23.79 million.
“On its part, the government of Zimbabwe will continue to fund the National Mine Clearance Unit which requires a minimum of US$2 million per year.
“It is our hope that deliberations during this workshop will help unlock funding for mine action in Zimbabwe as completion of mine clearance is hinged on sustained funding from Government and current and new donors,” she said, adding the government remains committed to clearing the landmines.
“At this juncture, let me take this opportunity to extend my profound appreciation to the donor community for continuing to support mine action in Zimbabwe. We owe it to them for the huge strides that have been registered so far towards the finalisation of mine clearance,” she said.
The Rhodesian forces planted landmines along the country’s border at the height of the war of liberation with the aim of inhibiting the movement of freedom fighters to and from neighbouring countries, particularly Zambia and Mozambique.
Decades after the war ended, the landmines are still killing and maiming people and livestock, particularly along the eastern border of the country in places such as Mutoko, Mudzi and further down in Chipinge and Chiredzi.
Communities are also leaving vast tracts of land lying idle out of fear that they might step on the landmines and get killed or injured.
New Ziana
