Illegal Mining at Christmas Pass Sparks Fears of Disaster Near Hillcrest College

Illegal mining at Christmas Pass has resumed despite a government ban, with mudslides threatening Hillcrest College and nearby homes, prompting fears of a major disaster as rains continue (image source)

PENHALONGA — Recent heavy rains have exposed continued illegal mining activities at the Christmas Pass Mountain Range, triggering renewed fears of a looming environmental and human disaster after mudslides began encroaching on Hillcrest College and the neighbouring Toronto residential area.

Residents, school officials and civil society activists warn that unregulated excavation on the steep slopes has severely weakened the terrain, raising the risk of catastrophic erosion that could endanger lives, infrastructure and key public facilities if operations are not halted immediately.

Government last year issued a directive suspending unauthorised mining at Christmas Pass in an effort to curb environmental degradation and address escalating health and safety concerns. Civil society groups, led by the Centre for Natural Resources Governance (CNRG), staged protests in 2025 that briefly stopped operations. However, recent field investigations by NewsDay, working with CNRG executive director Farai Maguwu, indicate that mining has quietly resumed.

(image source)

Sources say access to the site is tightly controlled during the day by security guards, but machinery and workers reportedly return at night. Witnesses and an on-site official told investigators that Chinese investors, together with local operators identified as Farai Chimonyo and a man known only as Chad, have been active in the area. Chimonyo is alleged to be the mine owner.

The official warned that mudslides are already moving downslope toward the school and nearby residential blocks, with the risk escalating as rainfall continues. “We are seeing mudslides going into the school and the Toronto residential area. If the rains continue, we are going to see a disaster,” the source said.

Hillcrest College staff confirmed that the school has reported the matter to authorities. An anonymous staff member said the institution hears heavy machinery operating at night and fears that erosion could soon reach classrooms and other buildings. Once densely forested slopes now show extensive scarring, with exposed red soil, open trenches and deep gullies advancing toward telecommunications infrastructure above the campus.

Mr Maguwu described the mining activities as criminal and urged immediate law enforcement intervention. “It is now up to law enforcement to track this Chad guy and his Chinese partners in crime so that they are brought to book because they have no right to profiteer and put the lives of other people at risk,” he said. He also appealed to government to protect residents, professionals and scholars from activities that are undermining the mountain’s structural integrity.

Acting Manicaland police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka said police would investigate the allegations. Meanwhile, local leaders and environmental advocates are calling for the immediate closure of the site, emergency stabilisation of affected slopes, and a transparent probe into mining permits, ownership and any collusion that allowed operations to resume.

With the rainy season ongoing, communities around Christmas Pass say swift and decisive action is critical to prevent loss of life and irreversible environmental damage.