SAKUPWANYA’S MINES COMMITTEE APPOINTMENT IS A NATIONAL DISGRACE

The appointment of Pedzai “Scott” Sakupwanya to Zimbabwe’s parliamentary portfolio committee on Mines and Mineral Development is not just controversial—it is an insult to the nation. It exposes everything that is wrong with how power, privilege, and corruption operate in Zimbabwe’s ruling elite. It is a slap in the face to the people of Penhalonga, to civil society, and to anyone who believes in ethical leadership and public accountability.

Sakupwanya is no ordinary MP. He is a gold dealer, a known Zanu PF loyalist, and one of the country’s most prominent figures in Zimbabwe’s murky mining sector. He flaunts wealth on social media while communities living next to his mining operations suffer from environmental destruction, water pollution, and poverty. Now, the same man responsible for damaging local ecosystems and livelihoods has been placed on the very committee tasked with overseeing Zimbabwe’s mining industry. This is not oversight—it’s capture.

Civil society organisations are right to be outraged. Placing someone with direct business interests in mining on an oversight committee is a clear conflict of interest. It compromises the integrity of the entire institution. How can a man who profits from the industry be expected to regulate it? How can communities trust that their complaints about environmental abuse or unsafe working conditions will be heard when the committee includes a man accused of causing those very problems?

The Penhalonga crisis alone should have disqualified Sakupwanya. Residents there have suffered because of unregulated mining, with streams poisoned, land left scarred, and people forced to live in fear of mine collapses and health hazards. The government has ignored their cries for justice. Instead of holding mining barons accountable, they reward them with power.

This is not just about one man. It’s about how a broken system protects those with political connections while destroying communities and robbing the nation of its future. Zimbabwe’s mining sector is one of its most important economic pillars. It brings in billions in revenue and supports thousands of jobs. But it is also one of the most corrupt and least regulated sectors in the country. Placing insiders like Sakupwanya at the heart of mining oversight destroys any hope for transparency, accountability, or reform.

And the timing could not be worse. Zimbabwe is trying to attract foreign investment to revive its economy. Investors want to see stability, ethics, and serious regulation. Instead, they see a government that treats parliamentary committees like private clubs for connected elites. No serious investor wants to put money into a system run by those who cannot separate personal gain from public duty.

If Parliament and the government care about credibility, they must act. Sakupwanya must be removed from the Mines and Mineral Development committee immediately. A full review must be conducted into how such appointments are made, and new rules must be put in place to stop individuals with business interests from sitting on oversight bodies.

Zimbabwe cannot continue to reward wealth without accountability. The country’s natural resources belong to its people—not to the politically connected. Oversight committees must serve the public interest, not shield those who exploit the system.

This is a wake-up call. Civil society is demanding action, and Parliament must respond. Zimbabwe’s future depends on it.