Zimbabwe Senate Orders Halt to Illegal Mining at Christmas Pass and Marlborough
Zimbabwe’s Senate has directed the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to immediately stop illegal mining operations at Christmas Pass near Mutare and in the Harare suburb of Marlborough, citing risks to public safety and environmental damage. The order was issued by Senate Deputy President Lt. Gen. (Rtd) Michael R. Nyambuya, according to New Zimbabwe.
Nyambuya raised concerns over the unregulated extraction activities at both locations, which he said posed serious hazards to nearby communities while degrading the surrounding landscape. Christmas Pass, a mountainous area along Zimbabwe’s eastern border near Mozambique, has long attracted informal miners, while Marlborough, a peri-urban area on the western outskirts of Harare, has similarly drawn unlicensed operations.
Illegal mining has been a persistent challenge across Zimbabwe, where informal diggers — often operating without permits — have ventured into disused shafts, riverbeds, and protected areas in search of gold, chrome, and other minerals. The practice has repeatedly been linked to land degradation, water contamination, and fatal accidents when tunnels collapse or miners are trapped underground.
The Senate’s directive adds to a series of government efforts to bring Zimbabwe’s vast artisanal mining sector under formal regulation. The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has previously launched programmes aimed at registering small-scale miners and curbing the toll of unregulated activity, though enforcement has often struggled to keep pace with the scale of the problem.
It remains unclear what specific enforcement measures the ministry will now deploy at the two named sites or whether miners have already been issued notices to vacate. The ministry has not yet publicly responded to the Senate’s order.
Sources
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