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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected] 

GOLD panners continue to cause significant disruption along the banks of Bulawayo’s major supply dams, targeting mostly decommissioned ones such as Umzingwane and in the process threatening Bulawayo’s water supplies. 

Bulawayo is facing severe water shortages exacerbated by illegal gold mining activities around its supply dams. Illegal mining activities are posing a serious threat to Bulawayo’s water supplies as the panners are even digging in the dams that have dried up, something that is likely to cause heavy siltation and contamination. 

Gold panners have created extensive damage along nearly two kilometres of dam banks, leaving behind deep, wide pits. Their activities are particularly concentrated in the Upper Ncema, Inyankuni, and Umzingwane dams, which are known for their alluvial gold deposits. This unchecked gold panning not only disrupts the environment but also poses a serious threat to the city’s water resources.

Umzingwane Dam, one of the key water sources for the city, is at just two percent capacity and is unlikely to see significant inflows without extreme weather conditions, such as a cyclone, due to the damage caused by illegal mining. 

The dam, one of the five water bodies supplying water to Bulawayo, was decommissioned in November last year. The combined water level for all the city supply dams is at 32 percent.

Bulawayo mayor Councillor David Coltart said illegal gold mining has created numerous deep pits in the riverbeds, preventing rainwater from replenishing the dam. 

He said these mining activities, along with unregulated brick moulding and water theft, have significantly degraded the riverbanks and compromised the integrity of water infrastructure. 

“No normal rainfall will fill up Umzingwane Dam because any rain that comes will go straight to those pits dug by the illegal gold miners. We need a cyclone for the dam to fill up,” said Clr Coltart.

He said the illegal gold panning activities could affect the city’s water supplies for a prolonged period. 

Clr Coltart said despite the Government’s investment into water infrastructure, the ongoing illegal activities continue to undermine these efforts.

“There are far too many dangers associated with reckless damage to the land. We must all put our heads together because all the commendable efforts being done by the Government through the water technical committee may yield no results as long as the dam is empty,” he said.

A Chronicle news crew recently visited Umzingwane River upstream in KoBulawayo village under Chief Gwebu and observed extensive damage to the environment. There is massive land degradation on either side of the river stretching for about 500 metres. 

Local villagers are also suffering, with reports of livestock falling into the pits created by miners. The situation has prompted the Bulawayo water technical committee to call for intervention from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, the police and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) to address the environmental and infrastructural damage. 

A villager, who identified himself as Mr Zondo, said they continue to lose their livestock, as they are trapped in the pits.

“Previously, it was well known that one must not dig within 200 metres of the river, but now it’s no longer the case. The whole place is full of pits, and villagers have lost livestock that fall into these pits,” he said.

Chairperson of the Government-appointed Bulawayo water technical committee, Engineer Annatoria Chinyama, said they have informed the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development as well as EMA about the ongoing illegal mining activities along the Umzingwane Dam and other major supply dams.

“Our mandate is to make sure water gets to Bulawayo, but as part of our recommendations, we alerted the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and EMA on the illegal mining activities, which prevent water from flowing into the Umzingwane Dam,” said Eng Chinyama.

Government has already released US$2,8 million, which was channelled towards the procurement and installation of state-of-the-art pumps at the Umzingwane and Inyankuni pump stations. The money is part of the US$14 million that the Treasury has committed to release towards addressing the city’s water woes. 

The bulk of the money will be used to rehabilitate and upgrade the Insiza and Mtshabezi pipelines.

 According to the latest council minutes, the city’s director of water and sanitation, Eng Sikhumbuzo Ncube, said brick moulding along the Umzingwane River involved the unauthorised extraction of soil and clay from the dam’s protected shoreline areas.

He said the practice, not only strips the land of vital natural resources, but also destabilises the banks and loosens the soil leading to heavy siltation.

“Compounding this issue was the widespread theft of water from the dam. Unregulated and illegal extraction of water deprived authorised users, such as residents and farmers, of this critical resource,” said Eng Ncube.

“It also reduced the overall volume and quality of the water stored in the dam. The combination of brick moulding and water theft is highly damaging to the long-term health and viability of the Umzingwane Dam.” 

Eng Ncube highlighted that illegal soil extraction from gold mining activities is causing siltation in the Umzingwane Dam, which gradually reduces its storage capacity. This siltation, coupled with water quality degradation, undermines the dam’s effectiveness for drinking, agricultural and industrial use. 

Additionally, illegal gold panning has exposed a section of the Insiza pipeline, compromising its integrity and posing a significant risk to the city’s water infrastructure.

 “Exposing the pipeline in this way made it vulnerable to further damage, contamination and tampering, all of which would have devastating consequences to the quality and reliability of the city’s water supply,” said Eng Ncube.