Senate orders Mines ministry to halt illegal mining at Christmas Pass, Marlborough
The Zimbabwean Senate has ordered an immediate halt to illegal mining activities in Christmas Pass and Marlborough due to environmental and safety concerns. Officials noted that prohibited practices like heap leaching are being used, posing risks to local infrastructure and schools.
Why it matters
Illegal mining causes significant environmental degradation and poses direct physical threats to local communities and public infrastructure.
Senate Deputy President Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Michael R. Nyambuya has ordered the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to immediately stop illegal mining activities at Christmas Pass in Mutare and Marlborough in Harare following concerns over public safety and environmental degradation.
Nyambuya issued the directive during Thursday’s Question and Answer session in the Senate after Senator Irene Zindi raised alarm over the impact of mining operations at the two sites.
Zindi warned that gold mining activities at Christmas Pass had left a massive trench stretching between five and 10 kilometres, posing a serious flooding risk to nearby communities as well as Christ Hill Primary and Secondary School in Manicaland Province.
“People living in that area are now afraid that if a cyclone occurs, they will be in great danger,” she said.
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