Yesha
Senior Member
- Jan 28, 2026
- 183
- 97
Residents in Zimbabwe's gold-rich Penhalonga area are facing renewed concerns over alleged illegal mining, environmental damage and the safety of their water sources, following two separate mining controversies in Manicaland.
The latest allegations involve businessman Evans Kamombo, who has been linked to alleged illegal river mining, and Bravolands Mining, which the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) accuses of operating more than 100 gold-processing tanks without the necessary licences near a residential area outside Mutare.
In the first incident, Kamombo, identified in reports as the owner of Manica Diamonds Football Club and chief executive of Agrum Investments, has been linked to alleged illegal mining along a river in Penhalonga.
According to a report by News Byte Zw, Kamombo and his associates allegedly arrived at the site carrying machetes and other weapons before forcing workers from Nubia Investments to abandon river rehabilitation work.
Nubia Investments was reportedly contracted to restore the affected river in line with environmental regulations.
The report further alleges that seven excavators and other heavy machinery were brought to the site to resume mining, disturbing areas that had previously been rehabilitated as well as sections that had not been mined before.
Questions have also been raised about whether the alleged mining activities have the required legal authorisation.
The matter was reportedly reported to Penhalonga Police Station at around 9am, with another report made to the Officer-in-Charge at 11am.
However, sources quoted in the report claim police only arrived after 8pm and did not seize the machinery.
These allegations have not been independently verified.
Meanwhile, another mining dispute has emerged at Valley of Kings, a residential settlement along the Mutare-Harare highway near Magamba Campus.
CNRG Executive Director Farai Maguwu alleges that Bravolands Mining has installed more than 100 cyanidation tanks at the site to process gold ore reportedly transported from Penhalonga.
Cyanidation is a gold extraction process that uses cyanide to separate gold from ore. If the chemicals are not properly handled and contained, they can pose serious risks to people, animals and the environment.
Maguwu says residents were informed that neither the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development nor the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) had issued the company with the necessary mining or mineral-processing licences.
The development has reportedly caused anxiety among residents who depend on boreholes for water and fear that chemicals from the gold-processing activities could contaminate their water sources.
Tensions reportedly increased after Penhalonga Police organised a meeting involving residents, Mutasa Rural District Council and Bravolands Mining.
According to Maguwu, unidentified individuals allegedly used explosives to destroy the Valley of Kings entrance gate and pulled down sections of the surrounding fence on the eve of the meeting.
Police detectives from Mutare reportedly visited the area, but Maguwu says no arrests had been made and the company's activities were continuing.
He also raised concerns about blasting at Christmas Pass, where another mining company is allegedly continuing operations despite a ministerial order directing it to stop in September.
The incidents have brought renewed attention to mining activities in Manicaland and the impact they could have on communities living near mining sites.
Zimbabwe's Statutory Instrument 188 of 2024 prohibits alluvial mining in or along rivers and public streams, even where operators have mining permits or environmental certificates.
The regulations also provide for the seizure of machinery, equipment and vehicles used in prohibited mining activities.
The scale of gold-processing activities in Penhalonga has also been a concern for environmental organisations.
A 2024 report by the Centre for Research and Development identified 28 cyanidation sites and 860 illegal hammer mills in Penhalonga and surrounding communities. This was an increase from 21 cyanidation sites and 532 hammer mills recorded in January 2023.
The latest allegations raise questions about whether mining regulations are being enforced effectively and whether communities are adequately protected from the environmental risks associated with gold extraction.
For residents who depend on rivers and boreholes for their daily water needs, the issue goes beyond mining rights and business interests. It is also about the safety of their water, land and livelihoods.
Evans Kamombo, Agrum Investments, Nubia Investments, Bravolands Mining, EMA, the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and the Zimbabwe Republic Police should be afforded an opportunity to respond to the allegations.
The latest allegations involve businessman Evans Kamombo, who has been linked to alleged illegal river mining, and Bravolands Mining, which the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) accuses of operating more than 100 gold-processing tanks without the necessary licences near a residential area outside Mutare.
In the first incident, Kamombo, identified in reports as the owner of Manica Diamonds Football Club and chief executive of Agrum Investments, has been linked to alleged illegal mining along a river in Penhalonga.
According to a report by News Byte Zw, Kamombo and his associates allegedly arrived at the site carrying machetes and other weapons before forcing workers from Nubia Investments to abandon river rehabilitation work.
Nubia Investments was reportedly contracted to restore the affected river in line with environmental regulations.
The report further alleges that seven excavators and other heavy machinery were brought to the site to resume mining, disturbing areas that had previously been rehabilitated as well as sections that had not been mined before.
Questions have also been raised about whether the alleged mining activities have the required legal authorisation.
The matter was reportedly reported to Penhalonga Police Station at around 9am, with another report made to the Officer-in-Charge at 11am.
However, sources quoted in the report claim police only arrived after 8pm and did not seize the machinery.
These allegations have not been independently verified.
Meanwhile, another mining dispute has emerged at Valley of Kings, a residential settlement along the Mutare-Harare highway near Magamba Campus.
CNRG Executive Director Farai Maguwu alleges that Bravolands Mining has installed more than 100 cyanidation tanks at the site to process gold ore reportedly transported from Penhalonga.
Cyanidation is a gold extraction process that uses cyanide to separate gold from ore. If the chemicals are not properly handled and contained, they can pose serious risks to people, animals and the environment.
Maguwu says residents were informed that neither the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development nor the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) had issued the company with the necessary mining or mineral-processing licences.
The development has reportedly caused anxiety among residents who depend on boreholes for water and fear that chemicals from the gold-processing activities could contaminate their water sources.
Tensions reportedly increased after Penhalonga Police organised a meeting involving residents, Mutasa Rural District Council and Bravolands Mining.
According to Maguwu, unidentified individuals allegedly used explosives to destroy the Valley of Kings entrance gate and pulled down sections of the surrounding fence on the eve of the meeting.
Police detectives from Mutare reportedly visited the area, but Maguwu says no arrests had been made and the company's activities were continuing.
He also raised concerns about blasting at Christmas Pass, where another mining company is allegedly continuing operations despite a ministerial order directing it to stop in September.
The incidents have brought renewed attention to mining activities in Manicaland and the impact they could have on communities living near mining sites.
Zimbabwe's Statutory Instrument 188 of 2024 prohibits alluvial mining in or along rivers and public streams, even where operators have mining permits or environmental certificates.
The regulations also provide for the seizure of machinery, equipment and vehicles used in prohibited mining activities.
The scale of gold-processing activities in Penhalonga has also been a concern for environmental organisations.
A 2024 report by the Centre for Research and Development identified 28 cyanidation sites and 860 illegal hammer mills in Penhalonga and surrounding communities. This was an increase from 21 cyanidation sites and 532 hammer mills recorded in January 2023.
The latest allegations raise questions about whether mining regulations are being enforced effectively and whether communities are adequately protected from the environmental risks associated with gold extraction.
For residents who depend on rivers and boreholes for their daily water needs, the issue goes beyond mining rights and business interests. It is also about the safety of their water, land and livelihoods.
Evans Kamombo, Agrum Investments, Nubia Investments, Bravolands Mining, EMA, the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and the Zimbabwe Republic Police should be afforded an opportunity to respond to the allegations.