Zimbabwe Tightens Crackdown On Illegal River Mining With New Environmental Laws

Zimbabwe’s government says it will introduce new legal measures targeting illegal mining and environmental destruction along rivers and water bodies as authorities intensify efforts to protect water supplies, dams, and agricultural production. The planned intervention includes three new statutory instruments aimed at strengthening enforcement against illegal alluvial mining, which officials say has caused widespread environmental degradation across the country.

Speaking during a coordination meeting with Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Anxious Masuka said the new legal measures would reinforce existing mining restrictions already introduced under Statutory Instrument 188 of November 2024.

“There is an interministerial Statutory Instrument 188 of November 2024 banning alluvial mining. We will now have three SIs to complement that. SI 188 is still in force. No alluvial mining is allowed,” Masuka said.

Zimbabwe has in recent years experienced increasing environmental pressure from illegal gold mining operations along rivers and streams, particularly in mineral-rich provinces. Authorities say uncontrolled alluvial mining has damaged rivers, wetlands, irrigation infrastructure, and dams critical for both agriculture and domestic water supplies.

Masuka said the government plans to deploy security agencies to enforce the mining ban through continuous surveillance of affected areas.

“The security sector will be directed to conduct a 24-hour surveillance system so that there is no alluvial mining,” he said.

The minister added that Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to declare heavily degraded rivers a state of disaster within days. Such a declaration would allow authorities to introduce emergency environmental rehabilitation measures.

The government also plans to invoke a “polluter pays” framework that will compel individuals or companies responsible for environmental destruction to finance rehabilitation projects.

“We are invoking the polluter pays statutory instrument, which means that because rivers were degraded, they must be rehabilitated by those who caused damage,” Masuka said.

Authorities have reportedly set a three-month target to rehabilitate affected rivers and dams, including Mazowe Dam.

Environmental experts have repeatedly warned that unchecked illegal mining poses long-term threats to water quality, food security, and biodiversity. According to the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), illegal mining activities contribute heavily to siltation, river pollution, and the destruction of aquatic ecosystems in several parts of the country.

Meanwhile, Vangelis Haritatos said the government is also prioritising the completion of the land reform process and the integration of land administration systems.

“We need to do a stock take of the land reform so that we can declare land reform is done,” Haritatos said.

The announcements come as farmers across Zimbabwe harvest summer crops and prepare for winter wheat production.

Christopher Magomo said some areas in Mashonaland Central were recording maize yields of up to six tonnes per hectare, while soya bean yields averaged four tonnes. Authorities say protecting rivers and dams is critical to sustaining irrigation schemes and maintaining agricultural productivity amid climate and environmental pressures.

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