{"id":2598,"date":"2026-08-10T15:16:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T15:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/?p=2598"},"modified":"2026-08-10T15:21:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T15:21:06","slug":"mnangagwa-draws-red-line-on-mining-damage-as-zimbabwe-pushes-industrialization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/2026\/08\/10\/mnangagwa-draws-red-line-on-mining-damage-as-zimbabwe-pushes-industrialization\/","title":{"rendered":"Mnangagwa Draws Red Line on Mining Damage as Zimbabwe Pushes Industrialization"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Fanuel Chinowaita<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
President Emmerson Mnangagwa<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

HARARE, August 10, 2026<\/strong> \u2014 President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned miners against destroying rivers, infrastructure and the environment, saying Zimbabwe\u2019s drive to exploit its mineral wealth must not come at the expense of future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Addressing the 46th Heroes Day commemorations at the National Heroes Acre in Harare today, Mnangagwa said his government would move against what he described as wanton environmental destruction as it pursues mining, industrialization and economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy Administration will not excuse any wanton damage of infrastructure, rivers and natural environments. These must be rehabilitated,\u201d Mnangagwa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warning comes as the government pushes for greater value addition and beneficiation, with the President declaring that Zimbabwe would no longer rely on exporting raw natural resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cZimbabwe will no longer export raw natural resources. We are in a new era of localized value addition, beneficiation, industrialization, and manufacturing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mnangagwa said the policy was intended to expand domestic industries, create jobs and increase export earnings, while describing emerging miners as \u201cnew heroes and heroines\u201d in the mining sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he stressed that mining gains should not come at the expense of the environment or generations yet to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The President said the mining and agriculture sectors were increasingly linked to manufacturing, which he said had become a key driver of production, employment creation and export diversification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He claimed industrial capacity utilization had risen above 60 percent, saying this was increasing the availability of locally manufactured products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mnangagwa also portrayed the economy as increasingly stable, saying exchange-rate and price stability had been recorded since September 2024 and that inflation had remained below five percent and was expected to remain in single digits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cZimbabwe is indeed Open for Business,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In agriculture, the President said government was targeting an expansion of irrigation capacity from 274,439 hectares to 496,000 hectares and had raised its wheat production target to 662.5 metric tonnes following what he described as the success of the 2025\/2026 agricultural season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said young farmers were being empowered and praised farmers across the sector as emerging \u201cnew heroes and heroines\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mnangagwa said government was also directing investment into rural infrastructure, manufacturing hubs and agro-processing under its rural industrialization agenda and \u201cInvest Rural\u201d policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called on private investors and Zimbabweans in the diaspora to take advantage of investment opportunities in rural districts and wards, while government would accelerate the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges linking communities to schools, clinics and markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The President said micro, small and medium enterprises and cooperatives were becoming increasingly important to Zimbabwe\u2019s economy, with what he described as record production levels in manufacturing and mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also highlighted government support for children and dependants of liberation war veterans, as well as disadvantaged learners at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mnangagwa urged the education, sports, arts and cultural sectors to ensure that the history of the liberation struggle remained alive among younger generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said investment in research, innovation, science and technology was being prioritized to strengthen industrial competitiveness, while higher learning institutions were increasingly serving as centres of innovation, entrepreneurship and industrialization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On healthcare, Mnangagwa said government was seeking to strengthen local production and supply chains for medicines, vaccines and other medical supplies, with the aim of building what he called a self-reliant and resilient health system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also celebrated Zimbabwean sporting achievements, including qualification by the national men\u2019s relay team for the World Athletics Championships and the national cricket team\u2019s qualification for the 2028 ICC Men\u2019s T20 World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The President urged Zimbabweans to treat protection of the country\u2019s forests, wildlife, land and water resources as an act of patriotism, reinforcing his warning against environmental degradation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said government was also rolling out public-sector reforms, digital justice services and measures to strengthen anti-corruption and asset recovery frameworks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Community radio stations have been licensed in Marondera, Rusape, Gutu and Gokwe, while government has begun rolling out the Smart Traffic Management System across the provinces in an effort to improve safety on the country\u2019s roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mnangagwa also pointed to Zimbabwe\u2019s election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2027-2028 term, saying it reflected growing international confidence in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cZimbabwe shall remain \u2018a Friend to All and an Enemy to None\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the President\u2019s address also carried a warning for the months ahead, as he urged communities to prepare for a projected El Ni\u00f1o-induced drought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said government had measures in place to mitigate the effects of the drought and urged farmers to plant at the appropriate time ahead of the 2026\/2027 agricultural season, following guidance from relevant government departments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mnangagwa also called for national unity and warned Zimbabweans against what he described as \u201cdivisive machinations\u201d, saying the country remained a \u201cunitary and indivisible state\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said his administration would continue pursuing economic growth, modernization and industrialization towards Vision 2030 while preserving national unity and the legacy of the liberation struggle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs we develop, modernize, industrialize towards Vision 2030; we shall never ever forget their sacred sacrifices,\u201d Mnangagwa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2026 Heroes Day commemorations were held under the theme \u201cLest We Forget\u201d<\/strong>, with Mnangagwa using the occasion to link Zimbabwe\u2019s current development agenda to the sacrifices made during the liberation struggle and to call for continued protection of the country\u2019s sovereignty, natural resources and national heritage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Fanuel Chinowaita HARARE, August 10, 2026 \u2014 President Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned miners against destroying rivers, infrastructure and the environment, saying Zimbabwe\u2019s drive to exploit its mineral wealth must not come at the expense of future generations. Addressing the 46th Heroes Day commemorations at the National Heroes Acre in Harare today, Mnangagwa said his…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2598"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2601,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2598\/revisions\/2601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewasupost.co.zw\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}