The government has expressed shock after illegal gold miners dug a four-metre tunnel under part of the Gwanda-Beitbridge road as sabotage of national infrastructure continues.
Road and railway infrastructure are under increasing threat in the southern region where large-scale gold mining is concentrated amid calls for tough action to hold perpetrators accountable.
In the latest incident, gold miners are said to have excavated a section of the highway at the 144.7-kilometre line between Juanda and Colin Bawn.
The Masvingo-Mbalabala Road, and other sections of the Bulawayo Beitbridge Road, Maphisa-Mvunges Road, Old Gwanda Road and Makuei Road under the jurisdiction of the Gwanda Rural District Council, are part of the road network damaged by illegal gold miners.
Miners also damaged parts of the railway line in Bulawayo-Beitbridge.
Following the latest accident, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development responded quickly by carrying out emergency backfilling works to prevent the road from collapsing. In a statement, the Ministry expressed its concern about the increasing sabotage of the national transportation infrastructure.
“The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development has noted with great concern the numerous cases of illegal mining on roads and railway tracks, with the latest case in Matabeleland South Province, which recorded various cases of illegal mining on the road at 144,” the statement read: “A distance of 7 kilometers between Juanda and Colin Bown.”
“Illegal miners dug tunnels about 4 meters below the road surface, and a crack appeared directly above the tunnel due to heavy rain.”
An intergovernmental team was sent to conduct an assessment tour of the vandalism of the road network.
The Department of Roads, Environment Management Agency and Ministry of Mines and Mining Development were part of the agencies that were part of the joint investigation, the ministry said.
She encouraged the public to report people who sabotage national infrastructure.
“As a temporary remedial intervention, the Roads Department was able to fill all the openings to prevent rainwater runoff from infiltrating the ground through the opening and
Signs have also been placed to alert motorists to be extremely careful while passing a section of the road.
“The Ministry would like to encourage the general public not to vandalize public infrastructure as it is detrimental to the development of the country.
“Furthermore, we would like to appeal to the public to report such activities so that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” he added. Chronicle
