THE almost unending and pervasive phenomenon of small-scale Chinese miners reportedly wreaking havoc in Zimbabwe’s rivers and other environs is concerning, to say the least.
The recent recorded incidents along Mutare River where a named Chinese company was evidently panning for gold in the river using heavy machinery and probably dangerous chemicals should be handled with the seriousness it deserves.
Acting in direct violation the government’s statutory Instrument (SI 188) of 2024 which totally banned alluvial mining in rivers and public streams, the actions of the said Chinese company show a complete disrespect of the country’s laws, its citizens and the generations to come.
Ironically, these companies also seem to ignore the loud pleas being made by the Chinese ambassador at different forums for them to respect the laws of the land and to work in harmony with their host communities.
Could this mean among the Chinese investors coming into the country there could be others who are not genuine investors?
My question is premised on the fact that the erratic and disrespectful behaviour of these seemingly dubious investors who are busy destroying our rivers and land across the length and breadth of the nation is quite divorced from the reasonable operations of some established Chinese firms such as Sino-Zim Cement in Gweru among others.
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I would also like to believe that such companies with dubious operations cannot be members of the Chamber of Chinese Enterprises in Zimbabwe.
If they belong to the chamber, the body must take very stringent measures against them because their behaviour cannot be condoned.
If the situation continues as it is, similarly minded individual or companies will be emboldened to either continue or to also follow suit, to the detriment of present and future generations in the country.
It is said when the joint operations team got to the sites, the Chinese miners hid their heavy machinery in adjacent bushes and fled to the nearby mountain (Herald online, April 24, 2026 https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/chinese-miners-bolt-into-mountains/ ).
Only a few local workers at the site were arrested.
This is typical criminal behaviour that needs to be nipped in the bud.
I believe this is also the kind of behaviour that leads African people to believe in the unsubstantiated narrative that some of the Chinese who come to work in Africa are convicted criminals.
We hope our local security apparatus will leave no stone unturned and bring these alleged culprits to book.
It is important to say that when such people are apprehended, the harshest punishment according to the law should be meted on them, including cancellation of permits or operating licences and deportation.
If the punishment is not deterrent enough, they simply find other ways to go back and do the same nefarious activities.
The tragedy associated with these kinds of illicit gold mining activities is that the government loses revenue since no tax is guaranteed from such illegal ventures.
Further, it promotes the smuggling of the precious metal out of the country since its source cannot be traced.
Also, it promotes the possibility of the funding of other criminal activities such as human trafficking and or terrorist activities in and outside the country as the source of the money generated from these illicit activities is not known.
This further adds to the urgent need to stop these kinds of activities in the country.
Zimbabwe government officials should learn from the Ghana galamsey situation where thousands of documented and undocumented Chinese gold miners brought in heavy equipment to exploit the country’s gold deposits in rural areas with devastating effects on the environment.
Rampant use of poisonous chemicals such as mercury and cyanide in rivers by these actors also came with potent consequences on human and animal lives since rivers are sources of water for many rural communities.
This is slowly turning out to be the case in Zimbabwe if authorities do not take stern measures.
The authorities need to up their game in this regard as this is not the first reported case. The case of Mazowe River in Mashonaland Central province has been well documented.
As a result of pillaging and diversion of the river by various actors, including Chinese artisanal/alluvial miners using heavy equipment, the river is heavily silted and Bindura town, which relies on the river for its water, has been experiencing critical shortages of the precious liquid.
Law enforcement should not be a reactive but a proactive activity in these scenarios because our rivers are dying with attendant devastating results for our society.
In Bindura, farmers who use Mazowe River for irrigating crops in the Avoca area are now finding it difficult to continue with irrigation because of the challenges articulated above.
This has therefore become a food security issue as well.
Every loophole that fuels such criminal behaviour should be closed. In a country that is facing critical unemployment levels and low morale in government workers due to low salaries and poor working conditions, the possibility of officials being bribed by the Chinese miners to cast a blind eye on such activities cannot be ruled out.
Agencies tasked with policing these areas are often overstretched, and also work with few resources.
All this creates room for such dubious Chinese companies to criminally exploit our resources.
The urgency of the situation for Zimbabwe as a nation should be reflected in the government’s ability to lay down the law and enforce it.
The declaration by the Minister of Mines in February 2026, which halted the wholesale shipment of raw lithium is part of this urgency.
It should, however be clarified that having laws without them being enforced is a gap that can be exploited by those who do not have the interest of this nation and its people at heart.
Therefore, enforcement of rules, laws and regulations should be prioritised at all costs.
To enhance this urgency, there is also need for the media, the academia, citizens and civil society to continue exposing and making noise regarding these kinds of illegal activities.
When their efforts are coupled with those of security and environmental agencies in the country, illegal mining by dubious miners in the nation’s rivers and environs can be stopped.
This means Zimbabwe’s approach in this regard should be multi-actor and multi-faceted.
As I conclude, it is sad to notice that the resource curse reality is slowly becoming established in this nation if the activities of dubious Chinese mining companies are not stopped.
Indeed, in an epoch where extractivism and neo-extractivism are operating together, measures must be put in place to ensure not only that the proceeds from the minerals fund social development activities, but more importantly, that the extractive processes do not cause irreparable environmental damage.
Zimbabwe needs to balance this equation through strong and enforced environmental protection regulations as well as control of artisanal and alluvial mining activities across the country.
Dr Chipaike researches Africa/Zimbabwe-China relations. He is an International Relations lecturer at Bindura University. Cell: +263 773 244 767, rchipaike@buse.ac.zw. These weekly New Perspectives articles published in the Zimbabwe Independent are coordinated by Lovemore Kadenge, an independent consultant, managing consultant of Zawale Consultant (Private) Limited, past president of the Zimbabwe Economics Society (ZES) and past president of the Chartered Governance & Accountancy Institute in Zimbabwe (CGAIZ). Email address – kadenge.zes@gmail.com or Mobile No. +263 772 382