HARARE – A Chinese mining syndicate operating in Makaha, Mutoko, has petitioned authorities to act against a politically connected businessman accused of contaminating a community river with cyanide and running an illegal gold processing plant.
Zhangveng Syndicate, through its lawyers Rubaya & Chatambudza, alleges that businessman Emmanuel Ndemera has been carrying out “unlawful and environmentally destructive” mining operations inside the Manyuchi River, endangering residents’ health and the local ecosystem.
The complaint is highly unusual — Chinese miners are typically the ones accused of environmental damage.
In a letter dated October 13, 2025, addressed to Environmental Management Agency (EMA) director general Aaron Chigona and copied to the Mines Minister, Commissioner General of Police and Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), the company claims Ndemera runs a Carbon-in-Pulp (CIP) gold processing plant “within the very banks of the Manyuchi River.”
“This activity constitutes a clear and present danger, posing a severe risk of toxic chemical contamination to the watercourse, thereby directly endangering the lives and health of downstream communities and causing irreversible harm to the local flora and fauna,” the lawyers wrote.
The syndicate says it has “exhausted all formal channels” to stop the alleged pollution but has faced political interference and intimidation.
“Criminal complaints lodged at both Makosa and Mutoko police stations were rejected, with our client being explicitly told that Ndemera is ‘too hot to handle’ due to his political links,” the letter adds. “This is a gross miscarriage of justice.”
Zhangveng Syndicate accuses Ndemera of openly boasting about his powerful connections, which he allegedly uses to intimidate officials from the provincial mines office and the local police.
The company urged EMA to immediately verify whether Ndemera obtained a valid Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate as required under Section 97 of the Environmental Management Act, and whether his activities constitute prohibited alluvial gold mining under Statutory Instrument 188 of 2024.
“If Ndemera is operating illegally, as we strongly believe he is, we entreat you to act decisively to halt these operations,” the lawyers said. “We insist that you engage the Zimbabwe Republic Police without delay to ensure compliance and prosecution.”
The syndicate said it is directly affected as its employees “rely on the downstream water source now being contaminated.”
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