Brenna Matendere
Harare — Controversial Zhombe traditional leader Chief Gwesela, born Ndabazihle Wait Ndebele, has complied with a High Court order to stop illegal gold mining at the privately owned MaDollar Dam.
Last year, High Court judge Maxwell Takuva ordered an immediate halt to riverbed gold mining at the dam, activities led by Chief Gwesela and first exposed by an investigation supported by the Information for Development Trust (IDT).
The mining, which Gwesela had presented as a desilting exercise, left significant environmental damage inside the dam.
MaDollar Dam is owned by farmer Dave Tongai Mhondiwa, who holds title deeds to the 722 000 hectare property where the dam is located.
The farm was purchased by the Mhondiwa family from the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA) in 1996.
In a recent interview with NewsHub, Mhondiwa confirmed that Gwesela and his associates have since dismantled temporary structures and removed mining equipment from the site.
Before the invasion, the dam held between 35 000 and 40 000 megalitres of water from rainfall and served as a key irrigation source for Mhondiwa.
Two neighbouring commercial farmers, Taurai Runesu and Robert Chivurugwi, who hold 99-year leases, also depended on it.
Communities in villages 18, 19 and 20 of Sessombi, located downstream, likewise relied on the dam.
Mhondiwa said compliance with the court order has restored normalcy.
“The situation is now normal and no more illegal gold mining is taking place inside the dam as was being done by Chief Gwesela and his partners. At least we can now celebrate with our villagers that the water source that has been a lifeline for my family and hundreds of other villagers downstream is now safe from degradation,” he said.
He added that a wooden cabin, gold washing plant and excavator previously stationed at the dam have been removed.
“They came last month and took all their equipment. There is no longer the cabin and equipment which they were using in the illegal gold mining. But before that, they had already stopped mining from the time the High Court ordered them to stop last year,” he said.
Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA) director Obert Chinhamo welcomed the development.
“We are happy that Chief Gwesela and his team have complied. It is a clear sign they have repented and would like to applaud them for that. Let this case be a lesson that alluvial gold mining is illegal and harmful to both aquatic life, livestock and humans,” he said.
Investigations showed that Chief Gwesela had irregularly obtained a permit to desilt the dam from Zibagwe Rural District Council chief executive officer Farayi Desmond Machaya, without council approval.
Desilting involves restoring a dam’s capacity by removing sediment such as sand, without widening or deepening it. By contrast, alluvial gold mining entails extracting gold from sediments in rivers, valleys and floodplains.
In authorising the project, Machaya also falsely claimed that approval had been granted by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (Zinwa).
Zinwa is a state-owned enterprise responsible for planning and managing water resources, while EMA oversees environmental protection and sustainable resource management.
Armed with the authorisation letter, Gwesela proceeded with alluvial mining, causing extensive environmental damage within and around the dam.
Midlands senator Sessil Zvidzai, a former Local Government deputy minister in the 2009-2013 Government of National Unity and ex-executive mayor of Gweru, said Machaya could still be held accountable.
“Protocol does not allow a single council official to implement a decision that is “unresolved” or without a council resolution. And for having done that, the CEO can still be held to account even though the matter has been settled by the courts,” he said.
Zibagwe RDC environment committee chairperson Emmanuel Tshuma said the proposal had bypassed proper procedures.
“The proposal for the dam scooping did not come to us as a committee but we are happy that the courts have settled the matter and those accused of wrong doing have complied,” he said.