The Zimbabwean government has declared a national state of disaster across every major river system in the country, unlocking emergency powers that allow private contractors to remove silt, restore damaged riverbeds, and keep any gold or minerals they find along the way, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The declaration, formalised as Statutory Instrument 91 of 2026 (Civil Protection Notice), comes after years of uncontrolled alluvial gold mining left rivers like the Mazowe, Save, Sanyati, Umzingwane and Mutare heavily degraded. The government says the situation has become so bad that normal laws are no longer enough.
“Rivers are easily damaged but slow to recover naturally,” the new law states. The disaster status covers the whole of Zimbabwe and took effect immediately upon publication.
What changes under the disaster declaration?
The new rules do two big things.
First, they create a powerful Inter-Ministerial Committee, led by the Environment and Water Resources ministers, to oversee all river rehabilitation. This committee will call for bids, approve contractors, and monitor the work. Each province will also have its own committee to enforce compliance on the ground.
Second, the declaration makes a major exception to the existing total ban on alluvial mining (S.I. 188 of 2024). Companies that are genuinely rehabilitating rivers, and have written permission from the committee, can remove silt, stabilise banks, and restore river channels. If they find gold or other minerals while doing that work, they are allowed to keep and sell those minerals after paying royalties to the State.
No mining for mining’s sake
The law is careful to draw a line. Section 8(2) states clearly that nothing in these rules allows anyone to conduct alluvial mining simply to extract minerals. The primary purpose must be rehabilitation. Contractors must follow a site-specific rehabilitation plan approved by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), and they can only recover minerals that were already deposited or exposed by earlier mining activities.
If a contractor strikes gold, they must report it to the Ministry of Mines within seven days. They then need a Mineral Recovery Permit from the Provincial Mining Director. Monthly returns must be submitted, and the contractor must pay royalties at the normal rate.
Who can become a contractor?
The government will issue a public call for Expressions of Interest. Companies that apply must prove they have:
- No past environmental violations (especially related to alluvial mining)
- Technical expertise in hydrology, ecology and civil engineering
- Their own equipment or legal access to it
- Financial capacity to fund the work
Interestingly, the law does not ban polluters. It defines an “approved contractor” to include a “polluter company or successor to, or clone of, a polluter company” that damaged rivers since 2012. However, such companies must still meet all technical and legal requirements.
Strict rules on the ground
The new rules are not a free-for-all. The Third Schedule of the law sets out tough operating procedures:
- No rehabilitation work from November to April (the rainy season) or when rivers are in full flood.
- No processing plants, slimes dams, or settling ponds within 500 metres of a riverbank or the highest flood level.
- No process water may be discharged back into the river.
- Silt removal cannot go as deep as the original riverbed and must not damage riverbanks.
- All waste must go to a licensed landfill — on-site burial is banned.
- A pre- and post-rehabilitation joint inspection must be conducted by the Provincial Mining Director, ZINWA and EMA.
- Only after EMA issues a written compliance certificate, and the Ministry of Mines issues a quittance certificate, is the contractor cleared of environmental liability.
Enforcement and penalties
EMA is given strong powers. The Agency can prohibit a contractor from working if they fail to follow the rehabilitation plan or pose a threat to the environment. Contractors can appeal to the Inter-Ministerial Committee, but that committee’s decision is final.
If a contractor abandons the work or performs it poorly, EMA can carry out the remedial work itself and then sue the contractor for the full cost. Any direction from EMA is treated as a legal order under the Civil Protection Act.
Why this matters
Zimbabwe’s rivers have been hammered by gold panning and mechanised alluvial mining for more than a decade. The government says the damage now requires a wartime-style response. By allowing contractors to profit from recovered minerals, the State hopes to attract private capital to carry out the cleanup without spending public money upfront.
But the scheme is not without controversy. Critics worry that the exemption to the alluvial mining ban could be abused, with contractors claiming rehabilitation while mainly digging for gold. The government’s answer is the strict monitoring regime, including upstream and downstream water quality testing for suspended solids, pH, and heavy metals.
The disaster declaration remains in force indefinitely, and rehabilitation contracts can only be renewed upon proof of performance. For mining companies with environmental baggage and deep pockets, this is a rare chance to turn a liability into revenue. For Zimbabwe’s damaged rivers, it may be the last chance they get.
