{"id":98559,"date":"2024-09-11T10:29:22","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T08:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/buried-voices-political-influence-drowns-penhalonga-residents-concerns"},"modified":"2024-09-11T12:39:33","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T10:39:33","slug":"buried-voices-political-influence-drowns-penhalonga-residents-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.cc\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/buried-voices-political-influence-drowns-penhalonga-residents-concerns","title":{"rendered":"Buried voices: Political influence drowns Penhalonga residents\u2019 concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. <\/strong><\/span>THE Penhalonga area in eastern Zimbabwe has become a battleground, as civil society groups and local residents fight a seemingly uphill battle against the rampant illegal riverbed mining activities orchestrated by the political elite and well-connected Chinese entities.<\/p>\n

Despite the government\u2019s recent ban on riverbed mining, the practice continues unabated, devastating the livelihoods of communities that have depended on these vital water sources for generations.<\/p>\n

Against this background, civic society organisations and residents\u2019 groups, namely Centre for Research and Development (CRD), Penhalonga Youth Development Trust (PYDT), Penhalonga Residents and Ratepayers Trust, Penhalonga Service Delivery Committee, Arda Transau Relocation Development Trust, Zivai Community Empowerment Trust and Chimanimani Development Trust have implored government to demonstrate its commitment to end riverbed mining.<\/p>\n

Addressing journalists in Mutare recently, James Mupfumi, the CRD director, said it was high time government puts a stop to political interference in Penhalonga.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government must show its commitment by ending all forms of political interference in gold mining activities in the province to allow regulatory authorities to enforce compliance without fear of victimisation,\u201d said Mupfumi.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernment must implore on Fidelity Gold Refinery (FGR) to enforce its responsible sourcing and management policy to ensure transparent and accountable sourcing of precious minerals.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said FGR must ensure that the gold industry complies with the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act [Chapter 9:24] among other legal provisions that combat illicit financial flows.<\/p>\n

Clinton Masanga, the PYDT director, said government must be sincere in enforcing statutory instruments (SIs) that ban riverbed mining.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government should strengthen existing legal provisions on riverbed mining ban by re-enacting section 3 of SI 92 of 2014 to ensure just application of the law on riverbed mining,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is need to undertake environmental audits to fully comprehend the scale of destruction in affected rivers and hold those responsible for environmental crime accountable for rehabilitation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evamore Mubayi, a service delivery committee member from Tsvingwe Residents Association in Penhalonga, said it was disheartening to see water sources being destroyed by mining activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur rivers are being destroyed right before our eyes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government promised to end this, but it seems their words mean nothing when powerful people are making money from this destruction.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mubayi said the once-thriving Tsvingwe River ecosystem had been reduced to barren and sand-choked channels, robbing the surrounding communities of vital water resources and disrupting agricultural activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe used to rely on the river for irrigation, fishing and even drinking water,\u201d Mubayi said.<\/p>\n

The civil society groups and other activists have been organising protests and lobbying government to take decisive action against riverbed mining.<\/p>\n

However, their pleas have largely fallen on deaf ears, as the mining operations are often protected by political elites and also boast of sheer economic might.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is serious political influence from those in the echelons of power. They are the untouchables. Chinese companies have deep pockets and are able to bribe their way through,\u201d said Malvin Makoni, an environment activist.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur own leaders are complicit in this, allowing them [Chinese miners] to pollute our rivers while the communities suffer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government talks a good game, but when it comes to implementation, they always seem to falter. We are losing hope, but we will not give up. This is our home and we will fight to protect it.” The environmental toll of the illegal mining is staggering.<\/p>\n

Despite the government\u2019s promises to crack down on the illegal mining, activists remain sceptical, citing a long history of inaction and lack of political will to hold the powerful to account.<\/p>\n

As the battle rages on, residents of Penhalonga find themselves caught in a seemingly endless cycle of environmental degradation and political indifference.<\/p>\n

The future of their communities hangs in the balance, as they continue to plead for the government to fulfil its promise and put an end to the rampant illegal riverbed mining.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe Follow Africa-Press<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. THE Penhalonga area in eastern Zimbabwe has become a battleground, as civil society groups and local residents fight a seemingly uphill battle against the rampant illegal riverbed mining activities orchestrated by the political elite and well-connected Chinese entities. Despite the government\u2019s recent ban on riverbed mining, the practice continues unabated, devastating the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":98558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6],"tags":[19],"class_list":{"0":"post-98559","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-economy","9":"tag-zimbabwe"},"yoast_head":"\nBuried voices: Political influence drowns Penhalonga residents\u2019 concerns - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"THE Penhalonga area in eastern Zimbabwe has become a battleground, as civil society groups and local residents fight a s ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/buried-voices-political-influence-drowns-penhalonga-residents-concerns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Buried voices: Political influence drowns Penhalonga residents\u2019 concerns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"THE Penhalonga area in eastern Zimbabwe has become a battleground, as civil society groups and local residents fight a s ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/buried-voices-political-influence-drowns-penhalonga-residents-concerns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"zimbabwe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-11T08:29:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-11T10:39:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2024\/09\/sm_1726038546.945333.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1575\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1050\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/buried-voices-political-influence-drowns-penhalonga-residents-concerns\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/buried-voices-political-influence-drowns-penhalonga-residents-concerns\",\"name\":\"Buried voices: Political influence drowns Penhalonga residents\u2019 concerns - 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