THE STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT |ZIMBABWE I 2017 Specific Cases In October and November 2017, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) recorded four accidental spillages of hazardous substances. The spillages included sulphuric acid, cooking oil and liquid oil. EMA fined four companies namely Western Transport, Zim Bulk and Devbel. In February 2017, the Chitungwiza Municipality was fined by EMA for dumping raw sewage near people’s homes. On 29 November 2017 The Zimbabwean newspaper in a headline entitled, ‘Construction on Wetlands Ramps Up Water Stress in Zimbabwe’ EMA reported that 27 wetland areas in Harare and Chitungwiza have been partially built on. In Chitungwiza, 14 out of 15 wetlands have been built on, and 13 of Harare’s 29 wetlands have been taken over for construction. Approximately 60% of Harare and Chitungwiza’s wetlands have been invaded or taken over for construction purposes and all these constructions on wetlands are unlawful. The Environment Management Act (Chapter 20:27) through section 113 provides for the protection of the wetlands. Wetland management is regulated by the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27) that states that “no person shall, except in accordance with the Board and the Minister responsible for water resources, disturb any wetland by drilling or tunneling in a manner that has or is likely to have an adverse impact on any wetland or adversely affect any animal or plant therein or introduce any exotic animal or plant species into the wetland”. According to the Independent Online newspaper (IOL) of the 17th of April 2017 in a headline entitled, ‘Gold fever leaves trail of destruction in Zimbabwe’ reported that, in Tarka Forest, a timber estate owned by Allied Timbers in Chimanimani district, more than 600 hectares of prime timber have been damaged to make way for the illegal digs, according to company executives. The illegal gold mining in Tarka Forest reached “alarming levels”, and resulted in the pollution of streams and rivers, and destruction of standing timber. The sad thing is that not only did the illegal gold panning cause extensive environmental damage; it also aided the trade of gold on the black market as the panners did not have legal authority to be on the timber farm and therefore the gold they got would not be sold on the informal market which is Fidelity Printers. Such huge revenue losses for a struggling government like the Zimbabwean one is a real gargantuan tragedy as the monies could have gone into service delivery in key social services like health, education and water and sanitation. Instead of the Zimbabwean government intervening in this imploding situation the then Minister for Mines and Mining Development Walter Chidhakwa said that it was the responsibility of landowners or affected businesses to evict the illegal miners. The illegal mining reduces the timber resource, thus affecting direct and indirect employment, economic development, foreign currency earnings and leading to environmental degradation and reduced resilience to climate change effects. The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) (2017) reported that Chrome mining activities have desecrated some cultural heritage sites in Shurugwi and Zvishavane.53 Mining operators are said to have carried out excavation of mineral resources in sacred hills of Chikupa and Guruguru and at Kaposi site a natural spring and wetland as well as at Dzivarasekwa in Mapirimira another natural spring. Traditional leaders alleged they were not adequately consulted before mining commenced as they would have ordinarily conducted some rituals. Because of this violation the natural springs have since dried up. The sites are significant to the community because this is where traditional leaders conduct annual rain making ceremonies, which can no longer, take place as the area is now under mining. 53 Chrome mining in Shurugwi and Zvishavane, curse or blessing? Report by the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, 2017, http://www.zela.org/publications.php 43