The Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Walter Chidhakwa has expressed concern over illegal mining activities that are threatening the city of Kwekwe.
The concerns come after the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing ordered the immediate evacuation of government departments that are housed at Kwekwe government complex amid fears that the building might collapse into disused tunnels that run underneath the city.
Chidhakwa said the government is concerned and is looking at ways of addressing the problem in Kwekwe before some buildings are swallowed by the weak ground.
He said the illegal miners are now targeting pillars as they contain rich gold ore.
In 2014, the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development dispatched a team of experts to assess the severity of the risk following reports that some parts of Kwekwe town were at risk of collapsing. zbc
