A CHINESE owned mining firm has struck a jackpot in Zimbabwe’s high density area of Warren Park after being controversially granted authority to carry out “shale stones extraction” and “brickmaking project” along Crowborough Road on a piece of land previously mined for gold.
The murky arrangement given the green light by Ministry of Mines’ authorities will see two hectares being subdivided in Warren Park for the supposed purpose of “shale stones extraction” and “brickmaking” for Ming Chang Sino-Africa Mining Investments.
Curiously, the area was mined by Golden Quarries from 1924 for gold and sixteen blocks were registered, inspectors noted in letters to the Ministry of Mines.
Geologists told Zim Morning Post that even in areas that have been mined hard, the gold is never “mined out.”
Careful searching will almost always produce more gold for a patient and determined prospector.
Despite the land being previously mined for gold and the current application by Ming Chang Sino-Africa Mining Investments being for the mining of shale stones, Mashonaland East Provincial Mining Director Tendai Kashiri advised City of Harare that his office had no objection to the subdivision for the aforementioned purposes.
“This office has no objections to the proposed subdivision” for purposes of “shale stones extraction,” “along Crowborough Road,” Kashiri wrote on April 21 2021 to the Director City of Harare Department of Works.
“However, the proponent should adhere to mining guidelines, furnish this office with proposed method of works and should submit relevant plans,” Kashiri added.
Peculiarly, a few days earlier on April 14, City of Harare inspectors had written to the Mashonaland East Provincial Mining Director noting that they had discovered that “the area was mined by Golden Quarries from 1924 for gold and sixteen blocks were registered.”
It was also observed that “the area applied for is less than 100 metres from the residential built up area” and “approximately 50m from the Crowborough main road.”
And that “during their visit” Ming Chang Sino-Africa Mining Investments representatives had told them that the “company plans to mine red clay from the hillside and set up a brickmaking plant.”
Inspectors also observed that there is a high voltage power line less than 100metres from the proposed area.
It was not clear at the time of publishing if the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) had granted Ming Chang Sino-Africa Mining Investments an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate but sources say the project is already underway.
“You are advised not to implement the project until an EIA certificate has been granted,” wrote EMA’s Director of Protection Christopher Mushava on March 4 in correspondence with Ming Chang Sino-Africa Mining Investments after it had given EMA its prospectus.
Peculiarly, Ming Chang Sino-Africa Mining Investments prospectus to EMA introduced the company as intending to carry out a brickmaking project.
Sources close to developments told Zim Morning Post that apart from the negative consequences of the proposed mining activities on human health of nearby residents and structural damage to homes, the deal raised stink as it hands over a prime spot to a foreign company with very little coming back into the coffers of treasury.
Efforts to get a comment from Ming Chang Sino-Africa Mining were fruitless as the company had not responded by the time of publishing.
Ming Chang Sino-Africa Mining Investments has gold operations in Shamva, Shurugwi, Bindura, Mazowe, Kwekwe, Kadoma as well as a gold processing plant in Bubi.
