Illegal mine shafts threaten Kwekwe central business district

mineshaftKamangeni Phiri Midlands Bureau
GOVERNMENT yesterday dispatched a team of engineers and senior officials led by Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Cde Fred Moyo to Kwekwe to assess the damage caused to the environment and city infrastructure by the operations of illegal gold miners.This comes against reports that buildings in Kwekwe’s central business district and its immediate environs especially the eastern side, were in danger of collapsing into disused mining shafts directly underneath.

Cde Moyo, a mining engineer himself, led the team on a tour of open pits and disused tunnels at Gold and Phoenix Mine, now Kwekwe Consolidated Gold Mines. Some houses belonging to G and P Mine close to the illegal mining activities had to be destroyed and the people relocated after the walls started separating.

Midlands mining engineer, Eng Tapererwa Paskwavaviri, told the team the houses developed cracks that were 20cm wide forcing authorities to destroy them.

“The houses were falling apart owing to the illegal mining activities. It was no longer safe to keep people here and the houses had to be destroyed,” he said.

Eng Paskwavaviri said the illegal mining activities were so intense in the G and P mining area that at any given time there are more than 800 illegal miners busy searching for gold underground.

“The illegal miners have a well organised intelligence network. They already have told each other about our coming. This is why you don’t see them now but they are there underground mining,” said Eng Paskwavaviri.

Cde Moyo told journalists soon after the tour that his team would compile a report to present to Mines and Mining Development Minister, Cde Walter Chidhakwa who in turn would update Cabinet.

He said the ministry received a report from the provincial mining engineer to the effect that there were some tunnels running underneath Kwekwe City. He said the engineer made certain recommendations that could not be made public for now.  He admitted the City of Kwekwe could be at risk but said his ministry was yet to establish the magnitude and severity of the danger posed by the illegal mining activities or the tunnels.

“Minister Chidhakwa sent me and a team of engineers to come here and assess the gravity of the situation. The matter is serious and can’t be left to be dealt with at regional office level.  We have also made our findings and we are taking our report to government. We will give our report to Minister Chidhakwa who will present it before Cabinet.

“Our report should be done well-informed. Our engineers will point out what they want done scientifically. We want to make sure the town is safe and we do not want to alarm people. There is a problem but we don’t know how big it is,” he said.

Cde Moyo said the government wanted to intensify security at the mine and ensure that all mining regulations which were being flouted willy-nilly at Globe and Phoenix Mine, were adhered to.
He said:

“We are worried by the safety of the people who go in and out of the underground tunnels. We are worried by the illegal mining activities and the safety of the illegal miners themselves and that of the people who move around this area. Also gold trading, is it being managed well? Is the gold being sold through proper channels that do not shortchange the state? These are things that need to be attended to.”

Cde Moyo said government was also in the process of resolving the ownership wrangle at Globe and Phoenix Mine which has been raging on for over 10 years.

The wrangle between MidKwe and Kwekwe Consolidated Mines has affected operations at the mine, giving room to the emergence of illegal mining syndicates at the giant facility.

“The issue is yet to be resolved by the courts and we want to normalise the situation. Meanwhile, government is responsible for the mine as far as adherence to the mining laws is concerned,” said Cde Moyo.

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