Gold panners close school classrooms

Zim Now Writer

Globe and Phoenix Primary School in Kwekwe has been forced to decommission classroom blocks fearing that illegal mining activities taking place underground could lead to the buildings collapsing.

The same fate could also befall the Kwekwe District Government offices, which house the District Registrar and the District Development Coordinator (DDC)’s offices could also cave in given the continued illegal mining taking place beneath them.

The head of Globe and Phoenix Primary School, Isaac Pfupajena said illegal mining activities around the school had left some classroom blocks in danger of collapsing.

He said illegal miners invade the school at night and dig up huge pits under classroom foundations in search of gold.

“We have engaged security guards but at times they (illegal miners) come at night and threaten the guards before they dig huge pits underneath the classroom blocks in search of gold.

“We have also requested the police to establish a police post, but they haven’t come yet. We have however installed lights and some of the panners are no longer coming during the night,” he said.

“It's now raining and these pits which are underneath the classroom blocks will be filled with water causing the classroom blocks to collapse,” he said.

Kwekwe District Development Coordinator, Fortune Mpungu said they were still waiting for a report of the assessments carried out by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to determine whether the buildings are still safe.

“There was an assessment which was done by the Ministry of Mines to ascertain whether or not the school and the District Registrar’s offices were still safe to use following the underground damage owing to the illegal activities.