Some villagers in Chikuti from Makonde in Mashonaland West recently lost cattle after they drank hydrogen cyanide contaminated water from Angwa River following a spill from a nearby Chinese Detroop mine.In Mashonaland Central, the miner Ming Chang Sino Africa has been given a seven day ultimatum to decontaminate areas of Saimona village in Bindura, which were affected by the cyanide discharge resulting from its mining operations.In a letter addressed to Ming Chang Sino Africa dated February 28 the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) accused the company of flouting the Environmental Management Act.“We are advised that sometime in December 2021, you dumped cyanide into the slime dam and there was an overflow of the cyanide which then contaminated Saimona villagers’ fields and underground water sources.“As a result, two wells in Saimona village are now disused due to the cyanide contamination,” the ZLHR wrote.“It is our considered view that your actions constitute a breach of our clients’ right to a safe and healthy environment as provided in terms of section 73 of the constitution of Zimbabwe.“We hold instructions to approach the High Court on an urgent basis for an order barring you from conducting your mining activities at your mine in Saimona Village unless you have addressed our clients’ concerns.”Meanwhile, reports from Mashonaland West indicate that cyanide from the Detroop gold mine operations was swept into the Angwa River killing fish, crocodiles and cattle.
