By Nyasha Dube
Zvishavane based Women Environmental Rights Defenders (WEHRDs) have partnered with the Environmental Management Agency and small scale miners to get mentorship on sustainable mining and recycling so they are better equipped to be solutions oriented environment monitors.
This follows a recently held accountability meeting facilitated by Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCOZ) under the environment cluster.
The WEHRDs received education and awareness on gender justice and accountability monitoring which helped them to identify the environmental challenges in their communities.
As a result they pledged to reduce environmental degradation and littering in the mining town through entrepreneurial ventures which will in turn generate income and sustain livelihoods.
Speaking on behalf of the WEHRDs at the meeting, WCOZ Zvishavane chapter vice chairperson Sally Magodowa said women in the mining town have shown commitment to ensuring a clean and safe environment.
“More women and men from the communities are taking interest in what we are doing and have been actively participating in community meetings as well as the monthly clean up campaigns. It is also good to note that women are now taking a keen interest in economic activities such as mining and recycling. This will ensure that women not only benefit from resources at their disposal but thry can also monitor from inside and push for sustainable mining and waste disposal policies,” said Magodowa.
Zvishavane harbors large scale and small scale miners and there is a lot of extraction that takes place on a daily basis with little development channeled towards local communities.
Communities like Mapanzure have been defaced with large pits as a result of massive mining operations, and the pits pose risks to humans and livestock especially during the rainy season.
EMA environmental officer Sally Maguvu educated women on the long term and short term effects of toxic chemicals like cyanide and mercury, which not only affect human health but also biodiversity.
“Now that you are aware of the effects of poor mining methods and how fast natural resources are depleting, we can work together through providing community trainings on sustainable mining and other aspects of environmental conservation such as recycling,” Maguvu said.
Sophia Takuva a small scale miner from AWOME Trust echoed the same sentiments, saying the more women take interest in the extractive sector, the easier it becomes for them to monitor and push for responsible authorities to put in place progressive policies that govern the sector.
“Mining has a lot of technical aspects as such women should actively take part for them to have a deeper understanding of how things work. They can venture into mining and at the same time protect national resources such as wetlands as well as human made infrastructure,” Takuva said.
She also raised concerns on mineral rushes which tend to worsen environmental degradation.
Takuva also challenged women with disabilities to take part in such activities as it is within their rights as enshrined by the constitution.
Section 73 of the constitution provides every person with the right to an environment which is not harmful to their health and wellbeing, and an environment that is protected for the benefit of present and future generations.
Women are the primary users of natural resources because of their caregiving abilities as such their close relationship with the environment can be used to promote a new culture of sustainable resource governance.