Edgar Gweshe,
Mabvuku residents are concerned by adamant sand miners on the Cleveland Dam wetland area despite numerous efforts to have the illegal act stopped.
“Our engagements and interventions seem to be fruitless as it is business as usual for the sand miners.
Cleveland Dam is one of the seven internationally recognized wetlands in Zimbabwe under the Ramsar Convention. The continued degradation of the wetland by sand miners is a clear indication that the Ramsar Convention is being violated. Zimbabwe is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention and as such there is need to for us as a nation to respect international treaties. Zimbabwe is going to host the COP 15 in July 2025.The continued sand mining on one of the seven Ramsar sites renders the forthcoming COP irrelevant,” said Cleveland Action Alliance Director Jimmy Mahachi.
Residents and stakeholders are getting threats from the sand miners who claim that they are politically connected and are immune to prosecution.
Wetlands play a pivotal role in water provisioning. The continued disturbance on the Cleveland wetland will exacerbate the already critical water shortages in the suburb of Mabvuku which spurn to over three decades.
