THE Masvingo-Great Zimbabwe Road risks caving in soon, as gold panners have encroached into its shoulders in search of the precious mineral, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has warned.
By Tatenda Chitagu
The gold rush, which has attracted both men and women from all over Masvingo province, has proved to be a major threat to the tourism industry at the world-acclaimed heritage site – Great Zimbabwe Monuments.
When Southern Eye visited the area last Thursday, large numbers of panners could be seen trenching along both sides of the road, oblivious to the damage they were causing to the environment.
EMA Masvingo’s acting provincial head, Somandla Ndlovu said they had since roped in police to flush out the panners.
“We have received reports of illegal mining activities taking place near Manyama Shopping Centre about 15km along the Masvingo-Great Zimbabwe Highway and we have joined hands with the Zimbabwe Republic Police to flush them out so that they do not pose a danger to the road.
“When we carried out a raid, they had deserted the area, but we found open pits, some less than 20 metres from the tarred road. We call upon all miners to regularise their activities, so that we carry out environmental impact assessments, which will then regulate where they can mine and where they cannot,” he said.
Masvingo provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Charity Mazula also confirmed the gold rush, but said no arrests had been made so far. She said the police would continue to monitor the situation.
