The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Raphael Faranisi, says no mining or blasting should take place at cultural heritage sites anywhere in the country.
Faranisi was giving oral evidence to the joint Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture and the Thematic Committee on Culture and Heritage at the New Parliament Building in Mt Hampden on Thursday.
He urged communities to report any such activity to the police and called on traditional leaders to play an active role in protecting heritage sites.
Faranisi said some foreign actors were targeting Zimbabwe’s cultural heritage sites, adding that such conduct would not be allowed in their own countries and warning against the destruction of sites central to national identity.
“There are so many complaints. We have got very good investors, our dear friends, but they don’t care. In their countries, they will never do that,” said Faranisi.
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