Ubumbano Voice
By Sesemani Lloyd
It is disheartening for the people of Penhalonga, one of the mineral rich areas in Zimbabwe’s Manicaland Province, to witness mineral resources especially gold in their area being plundered yet they are failing to access basic service delivery and sustainable economic benefits. Corruption and gold smuggling among other issues have crippled the country’s efforts to leverage mineral resources to deliver basic services such as education, health and clean water.
The Penhalonga natural resource case is a cause for concern where the community is under developed for many years despite the rich gold deposits dotted around the area. The renewal of Better Brands Mining Company contract in Penhalonga came as a surprise to many residents as well as the workers, since the mining company previously failed to respect the environmental and social rights of the community. The mine’s current open cast mining is hazardous to the environment as well as to people’s livestock. The company is using dangerous chemicals which sometimes flow into the river and is also notorious for leaving open pits all over the mining area. These negative impacts of mining destroyed community livelihood projects for example most women used to water their gardens using water from the river but because the water is now polluted, they can no longer make use of it. The worst scenario is that the contracted miners are mining closer to people’s homes thereby compromising their right to a safe environment. On numerous occasions, residents report cases of environmental degradation to the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development but it seems there are taking too long to solve the problems being faced.
The Penhalonga community is characterized by poverty, high unemployment and inequality. Residents hoped that these social and economic ills will be overturned by natural resources within their area. The community is failing to realize mineral benefits due to gold smuggling and corruption. Mutasa Rural District Council acknowledged that they’re not receiving any taxes from the mining activities taking place in Penhalonga and this has got a negative effect on service provision.
