MUTARE - Saviour Kasukuwere, the minister of Environment, Water and Climate, has blasted Mutare-based gold miner DTZ-OZGEO for causing environmental degradation in its mining activities along Mutare River.
Speaking at a World Wetland Day commemoration in Domborutinhira on Monday, Kasukuwere expressed shock at the state of the river in the Penhalonga area, owing to the company’s activities which has forced the river off its natural course, apart from the three dams that have been created.
“As government we are not forbidding extraction of minerals but we don’t mine in rivers,” Kasukuwere said.
“Here in Penhalonga, new rivers have been created. Where are the original rivers?”
DTZ-OZGEO, jointly owned by Development Trust of Zimbabwe and Russian company, OZGEO extracts gold along Mutare River but has not been operating since last October when the ministries of Mines and Mining Development and Environment, Water and Climate in October jointly directed, through the Environmental Management Agency, mining firms to cease operations along rivers following massive environmental degradation along Mazoe River.
The company in December claimed it had lost revenue of nearly $1 million over the suspension of their operations.
Over 500 employees have also been affected by the government directive.
DTZ-OZGEO chief executive officer Ismail and his public relations manager Clara Ngwenya both declined to comment.
But this paper is reliably informed they were operating using a special mining grant which allowed them to mine along river beds, albeit with special conditions.
Kasukuwere called for sustainable utilisation of natural resources, drawing parallels with elephant poaching in Matabeleland where, he said poachers were allegedly paid $500 for an elephant that could easily fetch over $20 000.
Kasukuwere commended the Domborutinhira community for preserving and utilising their wetland, albeit cautioning that their capacity is not without bounds.
“Conversion of wetlands for agriculture land will lead to the loss of vital wetland ecosystem services,” he said. “Intensive agricultural activities often lead to increased loads of pollutants such as pesticides, fertilisers, antibiotics and disinfectants in wetlands.
“Not only do these affect their ecological character, they also impact on human health and the quality of drinking water supplied by wetlands. We need to ensure that there is balance between agricultural production and wetland utilisation and protection.”
Kasukuwere said the wetland was in the same league with Maturure Wetland in Masvingo and Songore Wetland in Murehwa.
They were “flourishing examples of wetland protection and sustainable utilisation through agriculture.”
Local Senator Mike Nyambuya urged locals to preserve their environment.
“If we destroy the environment, we will have done a disservice to our children,” he said.
“Let’s preserve and not destroy our environment,” the former Manicaland governor said.
Trevor Saruwaka, Member of Parliament for Mutasa South, also expressed satisfaction at how the wetland is being managed to benefit 120 families, saying it was not being done along political lines.