Byo-Gwanda Highway under threat from artisinal mining activity
JUST 8km from Gwanda town towards Bulawayo, artisanal miners are digging under the main tarred road, creating human rights challenges and infrastructural risk.
A Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights (MIHR) assessment of the area shows that artisanal miners have begun digging under the busy road and parts of the railway line are also being dug.
Bulawayo-Gwanda Road is part of the Beitbridge-Victoria Falls Highway and it is said to be one of the busiest roads in Zimbabwe.
The road is critical for social and economic development of Zimbabwe.
In the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), Zimbabwe is expecting the mining and quarrying industry to contribute 8% of the gross domestic product by year 2025 and intends to formulate and implement an Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Mining Policy to facilitate enhanced exploitation of gold deposits.
MIHR has engaged the responsible environmental authorities and alerted them about the situation and has also called for urgent action to police and manage the situation.
Meanwhile, MIHR will continue to monitor the situation in order to protect the rights of the Insindi villagers who live close to where these events are happening-MIHR
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Corruption to blame for economy’s collapse
THE November 2017 coup benefited Zanu PF bigwigs who felt outclassed by the emerging G40 at the time.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has failed dismally to clean up the Zimbabwe’s image.
A once vibrant economy has been ruined. Many people have fled the country to seek greener pastures in other countries as the economy collapsed.
Corruption has become endemic in a nation that has been ranked 160 out of 180 by Transparency International.
Mnangagwa’s anti-corruption drive has not yielded any fruits.
He is pretending to be fighting corruption, but deep down in his heart, he knows that he lacks the stamina to eradicate it.
He is surrounded by vultures which have an insatiable appetite for looting and are not leaving anything to chance.
Corruption is driving the prices of basic commodities up and sending the Zimbabwean dollar tumbling.
Due to corruption, some international organisations are cutting ties or slowing re-engagement with our government.
The mantra “Zimbabwe is open for business” is dying a silent death. There is need for integrity, transparency and accountability in order to achieve our goals as the nation.
Many people are living in abject poverty and government is failing to build and upgrade critical infrastructure such as hospitals and clinics.
It is disturbing to note that since 2015, US$24,4 billion has been looted from Treasury, yet authorities blame sanctions.
The scourge of corruption has made even the most ethical, religious and morally upright societies vulnerable.
Corruption eats the moral fibre of State and cascades down to the lower rungs of society.
Most of these so-called revolutionary parties masquerading as people’s governments are a replica of colonial governments which relentlessly looted the country’s resources.
It is just a change in looting methods and the faces of the looters. We need accountability, transparency and people-oriented governments.
Some government officials unashamedly line their pockets when the whole country is languishing in poverty-Leonard Koni
