Last week, the
Independent reported that villagers in Mudzi lost several cattle after
allegedly drinking cyanide-contaminated water along the Nyamusanzara River in
the gold-rich Makaha area, where ZimCN operates Radnor Mine.
Some countries
have banned the use of cyanide in gold mining
to protect the environment and human health from the toxic effects of
the chemical.
According to
state media reports, Collins Mnangagwa chairs the Radnor Mine board.
President
Mnangagwa officially commissioned the multi-million dollar ZimCN plant in 2022.
The incident
has reignited concerns about the environmental and health risks posed by mining
operations to local communities.
An
Environmental Management Agency (EMA) executive confirmed that ZimCN had been
fined for environmental infractions.
“The source and
type of contamination is yet to be established though it is suspected that it
is coming from a nearby mine,” EMA spokesperson Amkela Sidange said.
“The agency
collected water samples from Nyamusanzara River for analysis at the EMA
laboratory.
“The results
from the water samples will then give a guide on the definite type of
contamination and the source.
“However, EMA
issued the nearby ZimCN mine with a ticket for conducting mining procedures
likely to cause environmental pollution; and an environmental protection order
to put pollution abatement measures.”
Sidange further
noted that the company had been red-flagged for environmental transgressions
linked to the livestock deaths.
Cyanide is a
common chemical used in gold mining to dissolve and separate gold from ore
through a process called cyanide leaching. However, it is highly toxic and can
cause severe environmental damage if managed improperly. Last year, the
government banned riverbed mining twice — first in August and again in December
— to curb illegal mining activities that harm the environment.
“The agency is
continuously calling on mining ventures with tailing dams to put in place
necessary abatement measures to prevent contamination of the environment,” she
said.
“This includes
deepening and widening cut off trenches around the tailings dams so as to
contain discharge of effluent into the environment.”
Pollution
abatement measures are vital in mining because the extraction process often
generates significant environmental damage, including air and water pollution,
land disturbance, and noise.
This can be
harmful to human health, ecosystems and local communities.
Sources said a
group of children, who swam in the contaminated river, were taken to Luisa
Guidotti Hospital at All Souls Mission in Mutoko as a precautionary measure.
Asked about the size of livestock that had died as a result of drinking
contaminated water, Sidange referred questions to the veterinary department.
The authority,
she added, was also not privy to information on whether the affected villagers
were compensated.
“Kindly refer
to the department of veterinary services as the best-placed expert department
on livestock management to comment on the number and cause of death of the said
livestock,” Sidange said.
“Compensation
modalities are not under the purview of EMA hence (we are) not privy to the
information on compensation of the cattle.”
An official at
the Department of Veterinary Services in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture,
Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement referred questions to the chief
director at the institution, who had not responded at the time of going to
press.
ZimCN general
manager Collins Musarurwa requested questions in writing but had not responded
to emailed queries by press time. The Independent sought clarity on whether the
company had implemented pollution abatement measures as directed by EMA, the
quantum of the fine imposed, and whether the penalty had been paid.
When the
Independent broke the story last week, Musarurwa insisted that ZimCN was
cooperating with authorities to determine the cause of the livestock deaths.
“ZimCN
Investments is aware of the situation. We are working hard to determine the
root cause of the livestock deaths. We cannot say that it was because of any
chemicals. This is an ongoing process,” he said.
“We have called
the environmental agency so that they get to look at everything. Like I said,
we are doing the process continuously.
“Our mining
set-up is according to the law. If someone says that it was cyanide, all we can
tell them is that there are laboratories that will provide the conclusion,”
Musarurwa said.
An affected
villager, speaking anonymously, insisted the cattle deaths resulted from
cyanide contamination.
“Our
understanding is that the cattle died from drinking water contaminated with
waste discharged by the mining firms, including ZimCN,” the source said.
A search at the
Registrar of Companies failed to locate the Radnor Mine and ZimCN files.
Zimbabwe Independent
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