A MINING rights lobby NGO says Hwange Colliery is exposing local women to serious health risks by dumping toxic acid whose chaff they (women) are applying to their bodies to arouse sexual pleasure.

The Centre for Natural Resources Governance (CNRG) said this in a report launched in Harare, Thursday. The report is on the environmental impact assessment investigation carried on the coal mining company last year.

"These are dump sites for toxic waste but when drying up they leave this acidic mud exposed and we saw women going to collect that mud and we asked what it was for and we were told that it was a sexual stimulant," CNRG director, Farai Maguwu, told reporters during the launch of the report.

According to Maguwu, this was not only evident at the Colliery alone but also at other sites like Makomo, WMK, Chilota and Coal Bricks mines.



"It appears this chemical can lead to cervical cancer and there is need for mining companies in Hwange to professionally dispose of this acid so that people are not exposed to danger," Maguwu said.



According to the report, mining companies in Hwange were not rehabilitating disused mines most of which have now become death traps for both humans and animals.

"We also discovered that the entire Hwange community was living on underground fire from coal which has been burning for decades and this has posed serious negative impact on the physical, biological and social aspects of the environment," read part of the report.

Maguwu said Hwange Colliery Company refused to cooperate with them when they tried to engage them with their research findings.

"We sent the report to Hwange Colliery at the end of 2016 but there was no reply, we followed up in January and there was no reply. Initially, we wanted to publish the report on the 20th of January again we called them and they said send it by email and we did send and there was also no response until we have come to this point," said Maguwu.
http://www.sustainabilitywatchngr.com/index.php/health/item/714-zimbabwe-ngo-says-hwange-women-using-colliery-mine-waste-as-sexual-stimulant