By engaging in illegal activities, Friends of the Environment damaged a bridge at the confluence of the Umzingwane and Inyankuni rivers.

Officials say this contributed to poor inflows into major dams supplying Bulawayo with water. Said Muguti:

We had a Chinese company here, Friends of the Environment, who partnered with EMA and the province later found out that by day they were closing the pits in the name of Friends of the Environment and by night they were mining. They destroyed a whole bridge while looking for gold.

Rampant illegal mining is being blamed for the low water levels in dams supplying the City of Bulawayo, despite recent rainfall. Added Muguti:

There was a cabinet directive which ordered all provinces to intensify the anti-alluvial mining campaign.

Now this is almost a 150-meter bridge which was destroyed completely in the name of mining. This is the Umzingwane River, it supplies water to Bulawayo and the collapse of this bridge is causing water challenges as the water has stopped flowing.

Zimbabwe has experienced a surge in mining investment from Chinese companies, but Muguti acknowledges that “not everyone is here for the benefit of Zimbabwe.”