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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
IN a bid to fight ecological crimes, the Environmental Management Agency (Ema) last year partnered the police to set up a national environmental law enforcement unit.

The unit was set up between October and December and police officers who make up the unit have since undergone environment management training.

The officers were deployed early this year to tackle largely the problem of illegal miners whose activities are destroying the environment.

Illegal miners disregard veld protection measures hence the need to control their activities.

Areas such as Nugget Mine in Matobo, Matabeleland South have been adversely affected by activities of illegal miners.

Communities in gold rich areas have raised concern over unconventional mining methods which damage the environment.

They have also bemoaned the loss of livestock that fall into pits left by illegal miners.

Ema spokesperson Mrs Amkela Sidange, said due to challenges in reaching out to illegal miners, the agency saw it fit to engage the police in trying to bring sanity in the unregulated mining sector.

“We have come to a point where we said we need to enhance law enforcement in dealing with illegal mining activities. We are collaborating with the Zimbabwe Republic Police and that is why we now have a special unit that is called the national environmental law enforcement unit. The unit has been going out to areas where the environment is under threat to enforce the law,” said Mrs Sidange.

She said the agency is confident that results of the partnership with the ZRP will soon start showing.

“Since the unit started operating, we are witnessing positive developments but we have not reached where we want to be,” she said. — @nqotshili