Danger pits scar Lupane as illegal quarry miners wreak havoc
Thembelihle Mhlanga
Deep, gaping wounds scar the earth in Shabula and Ndengwende, rural villages in Lupane where unregulated quarry mining has run amok. These pits, some 10 meters deep, are not just eyesores – they are silent assassins threatening the lives and livelihoods of 2 000 villagers.
Villagers live in constant fear that their children could vanish into one of these watery tombs, breeding grounds for disease. This is the grim reality for the people of Shabula and Ndengwende, whose cries for help seem to fall on deaf ears.
Driven by Lupane’s booming construction, the illegal miners rip into the earth, leaving behind craters. No permits, no licenses, no respect for the land or its people – just greed and destruction.
The villagers feel powerless. Their ancestral lands, their grazing grounds, even their sacred sites are not spared. Crops are destroyed, water sources fouled, and their very peace shattered by the roar of heavy machinery and choking dust.
“They’ve destroyed our land, our water, our peace,” cries Peter Ncube, village head of Shabula. “They don’t care about us, they just steal and leave us with nothing. We are suffering because of these quarry miners!”
His words echo the pain of a community pushed to the brink. Not only are their lives at risk, but their cultural heritage is under attack. Elders whisper of angered spirits, of misfortunes brought upon them by the desecration of their sacred sites.
Caroline Ncube, village head of Ndengwende, worries about her children. “These pits are death traps, especially during the rains. Our livestock is also at risk,” she laments.
The cries of the villagers have reached the media, but efforts to get a response from the authorities have been met with silence. The Lupane office of the Environment Management Agency (EMA) did not respond when reached for comment.
This is not just an issue of environmental degradation; it’s a story of human suffering, of broken promises, and of a community left to shoulder the burden of unchecked greed. The future of Shabula and Ndengwende, and countless other communities like them, hangs in the balance.
