VILLAGERS in Mudzi are reeling from the loss of a herd of cattle last week, which they suspect died after drinking water contaminated with cyanide. The contamination is believed to have come from effluent discharged by gold mining companies operating in the area.
The incident occurred in the gold-rich Makaha area of Mudzi South, where several mining companies, including ZimCN Investments, have operations. ZimCN's plant is situated along the Nyamusanzara River, raising concerns about the potential environmental and health impacts of mining activities on local communities.
The multi-million dollar ZimCN plant was commissioned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in 2022.
This latest incident of livestock deaths caused by polluted water sources comes in the wake of the government's ban on riverbed mining last year, a measure introduced after widespread environmental devastation left lasting scars on the affected regions. Sources confirmed to the Zimbabwe Independent that a group of children, who swam in the contaminated river, were taken to Luisa Guidot Hospital at All Souls Mission in Mutoko as a precautionary measure.
A councillor representing one of the wards in Mudzi told the Independent that 15 cattle died after drinking water from the river.
“Fifteen cattle are so far reported dead due to water poisoning,” the councillor alleged.
"The company that was linked with (allegedly) discharging the chemicals along the river pollution is said to have sat down with the local people and those that were affected will be compensated for their losses.”
Another source, who also spoke to the Independent on condition of anonymity, said ZimCN Investments had since allegedly compensated the affected villagers.
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“After the death of the livestock, ZimCN approached the traditional leaders and villagers to express their regret over the incident. They agreed with the people affected who have since been compensated,” the source alleged.
“The matter is now resolved. Villagers are grateful for the stance taken by ZimCN.”
The source said with the onset of the rainy season, toxic chemicals from mining firms were flowing into the river.
He said: “Mining equipment along the riverbank were washed away by the heavy rains along the riverbank and heaps of soils which contained chemicals like cyanide and lime were washed into the river."
One of the affected villagers said he received compensation for his beasts, which died.
“The issue has been resolved and I prefer not to talk any further on the issue,” the villager told the Independent in a telephone interview.
“I am fine with the compensation I received; I think it was fair.”
He explained that the cattle that perished were his primary source of draught power, and he planned to use the compensation he received from the mining company to replace the lost livestock.
Two years ago, ZimCN upgraded infrastructure, including roads around the area.
ZimCN general manager Collins Musarurwa said the firm had engaged environmental authorities to probe the matter.
He said: “ZimCN Investments is aware of the situation; we are working hard to determine the root cause of the livestock deaths.
"We cannot say that it was because of any chemicals; this is an ongoing process.
“We have called the environmental agency so that they get to look at everything. Like I said, we are doing the process continuously. Our mining setup is according to the law.
“If someone says that it was cyanide, all we can tell them is that there are laboratories that will provide the conclusion,” Musarurwa added.
As part of efforts to determine the cause of the cattle deaths, the Independent posed questions to the Environmental Management Authority (Ema) spokesperson, which were not addressed at the time of going to print.
Among other pertinent issues, this publication sought to understand whether Ema was testing water in the Nyamusanzara River following claims the water was contaminated with cyanide.
Coupled with that, the Independent also wanted to understand whether the authority would take punitive action against mining firms blamed for dumping toxic effluent in the river. Nyamusanzara is one of the main rivers in the area heavily populated by peasant farmers. The ZimCN’s mine is situated near the riverbank, whose flood plains were the mainstay of farming in the area. Most of the villagers in Makaha have sold off their farmland to the mining company which, in turn, has turned it into gold processing dumps.
