REHABILITATION OR ROBBERY? THE TRUTH BEHIND THE TUNGWARARA DEAL

Zimbabweans are once again being fooled by a government that speaks about protecting the environment while quietly opening doors for looting by the well connected. The latest scandal around river rehabilitation exposes how ZANU PF uses good sounding language to hide corruption in plain sight. What is being sold as environmental care is in truth a gold mining deal crafted for one man.

An official close to the matter asked a simple but powerful question. How do we know that Tungwarara will focus only on rehabilitation and not on alluvial riverbed gold mining. The answer is clear to many inside government and even within state security structures. It is obvious that he will mine gold, undisturbed, alone, and in secrecy. For these reasons and many more, this deal is corrupt and must be stopped.

Cabinet granted Tungwarara exclusive rights to carry out river rehabilitation through his company, Prevail Group of Companies. This was not a normal policy decision. It was an exception designed for him alone. At a time when alluvial mining regulation had been decentralised to provinces, this decision shocked many in the mining sector. It raised serious questions about fairness, transparency, and motive.

Across the country, ordinary people and powerful individuals alike depend on artisanal and small scale alluvial riverbed mining. For many families, this is not a choice but a way to survive. Jobs are scarce, prices are high, and hunger is real. Gold from riverbeds puts food on tables and pays school fees. It also contributes significantly to national gold output.

In 2024, government banned alluvial riverbed mining through Statutory Instrument 188. The ban was justified by citing environmental destruction, river siltation, mercury pollution, and damage caused by heavy machinery. Recently, government reinforced this ban and said there would be no exceptions. No special permits. No old licences. No favours.

Yet one exception exists. Tungwarara. Under the excuse of a cabinet approved prototype project, Prevail Group was given sole authority to rehabilitate the Muroodzi River. Sources say this project is a clever workaround. Under the cover of desilting and restoration, gold extraction can continue legally for one politically connected company while everyone else is criminalised.

The deal has angered many people, including some within the security forces. They see it for what it is. A convenient cover for greed and self enrichment by those close to power. While poor miners are chased away, arrested, or beaten, one man is protected by cabinet authority.

The situation is made worse by the lack of competitive bidding. No open tender. No public process. Prevail Group was simply handed a monopoly. Other miners, especially foreign owned companies, are now forced to operate under Prevail Group or stop working. Those who continue must pay royalties of between ten and fifteen percent. This is not regulation. It is extortion backed by the state.

Yes, environmental protection matters. Rivers must be protected. Water sources must be safe. But environmental care cannot be selective. It cannot punish the poor while rewarding the connected. It cannot ban livelihoods for hundreds of thousands while creating secret paths for a few.

Alluvial mining supports hundreds of thousands directly and millions indirectly. Banning it without fair alternatives deepens poverty and anger. Using the ban to create private monopolies destroys trust and fuels instability.

This deal represents everything wrong with ZANU PF rule. Laws for the weak. Exceptions for the powerful. Zimbabweans must speak out. This corrupt deal must be stopped before rivers, livelihoods, and the last shreds of public trust are completely destroyed.

Silence now will only invite more abuse tomorrow, and history will judge those who chose comfort over truth and justice for all.