The Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) has ordered all provinces to immediately enforce Statutory Instrument 188 of 2024, which regulates environmental management and the control of alluvial mining.
In a letter to Secretaries for Provincial Affairs and Devolution dated 22 January 2023, the OPC declared all existing agreements between provinces and private river rehabilitation companies null and void, noting that SI 188 does not permit such contracts without Cabinet approval. Provinces have been instructed to cancel these agreements immediately.
Key measures outlined in the directive include the removal and arrest of illegal miners, confiscation of equipment, and the establishment of an Interministerial Committee to oversee river rehabilitation.
The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) will lead pilot rehabilitation projects. Once complete, provinces may establish Provincial River Rehabilitation Committees, but only with Cabinet approval.
Provinces including Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West, and Manicaland have been specifically ordered to submit detailed reports explaining the appointment of private contractors, with deadlines between 23 and 26 February 2026.
The OPC’s directive comes after Prevail Group of Companies, owned by Paul Tungwarara, was controversially given exclusive rights to carry out river rehabilitation work in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central, effectively blocking all other firms from taking part.
The directive is seen as a setback for Tungwarara, who has recently been publicly criticising some senior members of the ruling ZANU‑PF party.
Tungwarara claimed that certain party financiers were aiming to succeed President Mnangagwa after his constitutionally limited two terms.
His rallies in Manicaland, where he handed out cash through an Empowerment Fund, were criticised as showy displays that fuelled divisions within the party.
Leaders of the ZANU‑PF Youth League, including Taurai Kandishaya and Tino Machakaire, condemned his comments as hate speech and inflammatory remarks that threaten party unity.
Related:
Govt Grants Tungwarara’s Company Exclusive Rights To Rehabilitate Rivers
ZANU-PF Manicaland Defies Commissar Over Tungwarara Central Committee Co-option