SAMUEL NJINGA IN MASVINGO
Gold panners are wreaking havoc in Masvingo Province, grabbing land and leaving unclaimed pits that pose a danger to human and animal lives.
Several chiefs, who spoke to Business Times this week said there were also gold wars that erupted, resulting in loss of lives. They also steal domestic animals, the chiefs said.
They said police were failing to stop the activities in the province.
“We are having sleepless nights here in my land. Gold panners are not cultured at all. They want to impose things on us yet they are foreigners.
“Some of them come here and look for gold. If they fail to get gold or money all they do is wait for us to retire for bed. It is during this time that they come and open our pens to steal our goats, sheep, cattle and chickens,” chief Bere, born Phineas Bere (Jnr), told Business Times.
He added: “We are honestly in trouble. There are fights that often take place. We often had murder cases taking place each time that some of these guys come across a cash cow belt in the process of panning. They also fight for beautiful women in the area. It is our prayers that these unscrupulous elements be pulled off our land.”
“The other problem also emanates from those who just come to us as chiefs with mining prospective licenses purporting that they are from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and are the new owners of our native land. These make it very difficult for us as leaders to exercise authority. They have got no time to reason. We have land belonging to our own people being grabbed, seized leaving our people landless. Imagine having people who have been in the area for decades waking up to find their land legally colonised.”
Another chief, Busai Blessing Mutema , who is chief Ziki, said:
“They are causing havoc here, these people. Look. The whole area has been devastated. They do open cast mining thereby leaving open shafts.
“Examine this area. There are huge holes everywhere. More often we pick our cattle from these huge holes. Last month a large number of our domestic animals perished due to what we suspect to be chemicals emanating from these hazardous projects. We suspect that there was use of signet in the process of doing their activities hence killing most of our cattle and goats,” chief Ziki said.
“Another perturbing issue is that they just come and claim to be the new owners of our soil. There is no plough back for us as the owners of the land. We feel that the government should intervene and see to it that we are reimbursed. We have rights to be protected in some of these cases.”
However, some of the gold panners who spoke to Business Times dismissed some of the allegations.
“We do smart business. There is no fighting. There is no robbing of anyone. We are professionals,” said one of the illegal gold panners in the Chief Ziki area who only identified himself as Jimmy.
Gold panners have been causing drastic environmental degradation in most parts of the province.
Most of the infrastructure such as roads and dams have been adversely affected as a result.
There is fear that Masvingo medium density suburbs of Target Kopje as well as the critical Masvingo City Council water tanks around the area might be vandalised at any time.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police have often carried out massive campaign awareness programmes dubbed Operation Chikorokoza Chapera in a bid to get rid of illegal gold panners.
The Masvingo police spokesperson Inspector Kudakwashe Dhewa says they are working together with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and other stakeholders in order to help in getting rid of this challenge.
