The Assembly of the Republic has concluded that mining activity in Manica Province is being carried out in an unregulated manner and is marked by multiple illegalities, warning of environmental and public health risks associated with the use of dangerous chemical substances and weaknesses in sector oversight.
These conclusions are included in the final report presented this Friday (9) in Maputo by the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry created to investigate the alleged use of harmful chemical substances in mining operations in Manica. The document is based on investigations conducted over recent months, at a time when part of the mining activity in the province has remained suspended since last September for environmental reasons.
The report, cited by Lusa, points to a structural pattern of uncontrolled mining, in which extraction continues even after legal suspension, degrading rivers, affecting communities, and exposing deep failures in governance, supervision, and law enforcement.
It concludes that mining activity in Manica is marked by severe environmental, social, and institutional impacts, noting that it is “causing significant environmental damage, with negative effects on agriculture, livestock, and fisheries.”
The intensification of mining, including legal operations, has contributed to the severe degradation of natural resources, particularly rivers feeding the Chicamba reservoir. The report states that “river water turbidity” shows “elevated levels, although still within acceptable limits,” linked to unregulated extraction practices and water pollution.
Despite the government-imposed suspension of mining activities in September, the report highlights the continuation of illegal practices and the “persistence of some active illegal mining sites,” demonstrating limitations in effective monitoring and enforcement.
Environmentally, the use of “dangerous chemical substances, namely cyanide and mercury, by both mining companies and illegal miners” is confirmed, representing a significant risk to ecological balance and public health.
Socially, the report identifies serious consequences, including accidents and deaths, conflicts and tensions, and even “social conflicts and invasions of concession areas by illegal miners,” as well as strong community dependence on informal mining activities.
The findings also point to major institutional weaknesses, particularly the “insufficiency of logistical, human, and operational resources for continuous inspection,” combined with difficulties in accessing mining areas and limited resources available to authorities.
The report also highlights a structural weakness in the sector’s governance model, characterized by “a disconnect between centralized licensing and local enforcement,” which limits district-level intervention and excludes communities from decision-making processes.
It further notes the existence of organized illegal mining networks and the circulation of dangerous substances, as well as external factors worsening the situation, including “upstream river pollution, potentially originating in Zimbabwe,” highlighting the transboundary nature of the problem.
The commission concludes that the situation reflects a pattern of unregulated mineral resource exploitation, associated with governance weaknesses, insufficient enforcement, and increasing difficulty in controlling territory—resulting in a clear “erosion of state authority” and the persistence of illegal practices that undermine sustainable development.
Finally, it states that the situation in Manica Province represents a real and ongoing risk to the environment, public health, and social stability, calling for a coordinated, structural, and long-term state intervention, including stronger enforcement mechanisms, legal reform, and the promotion of sustainable mining practices.
Source: Diário Económico
