Enforce Environmental Laws legislator tells EMA
Norton legislator Temba Mliswa cracked the whip on the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) for their relaxed approach to enforcement of environmental laws, following Afrochine and small scale miners’ environmentally unfriendly operations in his constituency.
Prince Sunduzani
Chrome miner Afrochine is up in arms with Norton miners, farmers and the community over several issues, including environmental degradation, ill-treatment of workers, shortchanging tributaries and not undertaking corporate social responsibility.
The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF), EMA, and Norton Legislator had to intervene last week, following several complaints from the community.
The agencies, together with Afrochine management toured Afrochine operations to ascertain the veracity of the community’s claims.
The company agreed to address issues raised by the community, including covering up their pits and sharing resources with the community.
We are grateful that after our interaction Afrochine has decided to help the local community as part of their corporate social responsibility. They will put water points in various areas which previously didnt have any water. pic.twitter.com/NnO6PnkZbH
— Hon. Temba P. Mliswa (@TembaMliswa) May 20, 2022
Speaking during the meeting, he said EMA has the power to recommend the cancellation of Afrochine’s licence for non-compliance and asked the agency to submit a report to his office for forwarding to the Minister of Mines.
He said EMA has the power through the country’s laws but was taking a lazy approach while calling on the Agency to act swiftly to address the issues.
In an interview with Mining Zimbabwe on the sidelines of the meeting, after the tour, Norton Member of Parliament Tember Mliswa said the country has good laws and the issue is in the enforcement of the laws.
He said government agencies should carryout out their mandate to protect the community and environment.
“The people who are supposed to be custodians of the laws, in terms of compliance are not acting. There is no compliance and there’s no enforcement. There is no law being enforced. Local communities must be empowered, not only through jobs but corporate social responsibility in terms of basic social amenities, schools clinics infrastructure, water and sanitation. Weare not seeing that from these companies and I think the indigenisation act was b very clear. They are profiteering more than giving back to the community which is giving them money,” said Hon Mliswa.
It emerged that the mining companies in the Norton areas were not rehabilitating the environment leaving open pits which are posing a danger to the community and livestock.
The Norton Legislator also visited Agate and Blaze brick company’s operations, after it defied an order to fill up pits from their extraction activities last year.
Instead of complying with the order, the defiant company went on to open new pits, much to the discontentment of the Norton community.
The visit resulted in the cancellation of their licence and shutting down of their operations.
“Today we visited one of them Agate & Blaze which moulds bricks. Since over a year ago when Environment Minister Mangaliso Ndhlovu visited, they have not filled up the huge holes from which they extracted soil. Instead, they have opened new ones,” said Mliswa after the visit.
“Resultantly EMA had to issue an order for them to close. They were told last year to rehabilitate the land by filling it up with rubbles and planting trees but have done none of that. The pits remain a danger to both humans and livestock.”