This was announced yesterday by Information minister Monica
Mutsvangwa during a post-Cabinet media briefing where she said artisanal miners
had damaged railway tracks under by the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Railway (Pvt) Ltd.
“Government expresses grave concern at the threat of
destruction of the country’s critical communications infrastructure and
economic activities posed by the illegal and indiscriminate mining activities
of illegal artisanal miners across all sectors of the economy.
“This follows presentation of a report on the matter by the
Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development (Felix Mhona), which was
adopted by Cabinet.
“In the area operated by the Bulawayo-Beitbridge Railway
(Pvt) Ltd, artisanal miners had dug pits within the three-metre radius of the
railway line. This has the potential of weakening the railway infrastructure,
leading to potential derailment and damage to the tracks.
“Cabinet approved the deployment of special security
operations to deter artisanal mining activities along the Beitbridge-Bulawayo
railway line,” she said.
Illegal gold miners have become the major suppliers of gold
to the Fidelity Printers and Refiners, an arm of the central bank, and they are
known for wantonly digging even underneath buildings for the precious metal.
Mutsvangwa also said government resolved to provide
alternative accommodation to families in irregular settlements and those
affected by recent hailstorms in Manicaland province’s Mutasa and Chipinge
districts.
“Cabinet advises that the number of families residing in
wetlands or in dysfunctional and irregular settlements which are in need of
alternative accommodation stands at 31 257. Verification of affected households
is ongoing.
“In the meantime, the provision of relief to distressed
households in areas prone to flooding is underway, while the identification of
safe places in all provinces is being carried out.
“The Department of Civil Protection is currently carrying
out further assessments of the situation in co-operation with partners at the
sub-national level in order to alleviate the suffering of our citizens,” she
said. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment