James Mupfumi, director of the Centre for Research and Development (CRD), said that since the ban was introduced, the use of natural resources in riverbeds has increased.

Riverbed mining in Manicaland continues unchecked despite a government ban, with senior ZANU PF officials and security forces allegedly spearheading the environmental destruction just three weeks after the state re-imposed a ban.

James Mupfumi, director of the Centre for Research and Development (CRD), said that since the ban was introduced, the use of natural resources in riverbeds has increased.

“This (riverbed mining) is continuing; it’s lawlessness. They are not accountable to anyone. They are not accountable to the government. It is benefiting individuals,” he said.

“The same thing is happening in Chimanimani. It’s happening in Odzi. In Chimanimani, mining is done under the banner of a company (name provided) that is (allegedly) linked to the military. We don’t know where the proceeds go.”

However, the chairman of the chrome sector of the Zimbabwe Federation of Miners, Tafirei Masuma, said the military company in question was not involved in riverbed mining.

He claimed that the company was engaged in the reclamation of areas and rivers that had been destroyed as a result of earlier mechanized mining operations in riverbeds.

“The military company in question has never been involved in the extraction of raw materials from riverbeds,” Masuma told the Zimbabwe Independent.

“We carried out rehabilitation works on damaged river sections in Manicaland under the supervision of the Environmental Management Agency (EMA).

“They did it perfectly in accordance with the EMA’s requirements. It never broke the law. It will never break the government’s instructions because it is also a state institution.”

Masuma, however, said illegal mining was rampant in Manicaland but maintained that the operations of the military company were lawful.

The recent ban on riverbed mining was the second such ban in a decade, after the government failed to enforce bans introduced in 2020.

Authorities have become aware of the dangers of mechanized riverbed mining, especially by Chinese companies. Despite the ban, the sophisticated equipment continues to damage Zimbabwe’s rivers more than what the country’s 1.5 million artisanal miners are often accused of, sources said.

Sources told The Independent that the worst-hit rivers in Manicaland are the Odzi and Mutare, which have become hotspots for environmental degradation. Civil society organisations monitoring the situation say the damage is equally severe in Chimanimani.

Mupfumi accused politically connected individuals and entities allegedly linked to the security sector of supporting illegal mining.

“We expected that after the ban was introduced, the situation would improve and that corrective measures would be taken,” he said.

“But that’s not happening. The main concern is the issue of opacity. These are cartels protected by political elites.

“There are names of people who are exploiting special grants. We have those names. Third parties are coming forward who claim they were subcontracted to mine by the original holders of the special grants,” Mupfumi said.

The disclosures underscore the scale of illegal gold mining in Zimbabwe, where cartels reportedly smuggle gold worth about $1.5 billion a year.

A 2022 Al Jazeera documentary highlighted the involvement of politically connected figures in the gold theft.

Farai Maguwu, executive director of the Centre for Natural Resources Governance (CNRG), echoed Mupfumi’s concerns, saying the ban had done little to stop illegal mining.

He added that issuing directives without enforcing them is pointless.

“It is actually ongoing,” Maguwu said.

“In areas like Penhalonga we’ve seen an increase. Small-scale miners have come into the area with their equipment. They’re digging near the river. Nothing has gone down.

“We need political will to solve this problem. Now, if senior politicians are taking advantage of the environmental carnage that is taking place, it means that the cabinet’s decisions would be just rhetoric. We need political will, commitment and seriousness,” he added.

ZANU PF party information director Farai Marapira has rejected accusations that members of the ruling party are supporting illegal mining.

“As Zanu PF, we do not put ourselves above the law,” Marapira told The Independent.

“We obey the law of the land to the letter. Any talk about ZANU PF members operating outside the bounds of the law is untrue and cannot be tolerated because we are very disciplined and regimented.”

“Whatever the case may be, I would like to encourage members of society in relation to this issue and any other legal issue that may arise from our daily lives; it must always be within the bounds of the law. Everyone is equal before the law. Everyone is subject to the law,” Marapira said.

“And anyone who breaks the law will feel its full wrath regardless of affiliation, religion, age or any other factor.”

Obert Jiri, permanent secretary for lands, agriculture, fisheries, water and rural development, who announced the ban, said the ministry had not received reports of illegal mining activities in Manicaland.

“I haven’t heard the reports. What has been announced is what we are implementing. That (implementing laws to enforce the cabinet directive) is ongoing,” he said.

The acting Chief of Staff of the Zimbabwe National Army, Brigadier General Zitterson Gideon Sabeka, agreed to a meeting at the Zimbabwe Defence House and requested that questions be put in writing.

“As per protocol, questions should be submitted to us in writing on company letterhead,” he said late yesterday afternoon.

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