Tungwarara’s Prevail Group Gets Sole Prototype Pass As Zimbabwe Bans All River Mining

Mnangagwa Advisor’s Firm Gets Only Prototype Pass In Zimbabwe Ban

Zimbabwe has banned all mining in its rivers with one extraordinary exception: a single “prototype” project awarded to Prevail Group, a company linked to Paul Tungwarara, a Special Presidential Advisor to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. While the government orders a total halt to alluvial mining and river rehabilitation, this one company has received what officials term a conditional “greenlight” to operate at a specific site.

The directive, issued on 5 January 2026 by Dr. A. J. Masuka, Chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee, leaves no doubt about the scope of the ban. It states unequivocally that:

“alluvial mining and the river ecosystems rehabilitation programme remains suspended until further notice.”

The order was circulated to ministers of defence, environment, mines, and security, as well as all provincial leaders, making it a top-level enforcement priority.

The One And Only Exception: A Strictly Limited “Prototype”

Amidst this total suspension, the directive carves out a narrow path for a single entity. Prevail Group of Companies is authorised to conduct work—but under strict, non-commercial terms.

The permission is explicitly defined as a test case, not a mining licence. The document specifies:

“The only company that has been given the greenlight to undertake river rehabilitation, as a prototype, is Prevail Group of Companies, at Muroodzi River in Mashonaland Central Province.”

Crucially, the directive warns that this authorisation is not scalable or transferable. It instructs all authorities that:

“the company should not be given a mandate for further river rehabilitation outside this Muroodzi River-approved prototype.”

Furthermore, it mandates that “pending further guidance… no company should be awarded a contract to carry out river rehabilitation across the provinces.”

Security Forces Mobilised To Enforce Total Ban

For every other operator across the country, the directive signals an immediate and severe crackdown. It formally alerts the National Joint Operations Command (JOC) and the Minister of State for National Security to what it calls “purported illegal alluvial mining/rehabilitation activities,” specifically naming Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central and Manicaland Provinces as hotspots.

The security cluster is directly instructed:

“to expeditiously stop such activities.”

This formal notification empowers joint army, police, and intelligence operations to seize equipment, shut down sites, and make arrests without further warning.

The government has drawn a line in the sand. All river mining is illegal. The sole operational “pass” granted to Presidential Advisor Paul Tungwarara’s Prevail Group is for a confined rehabilitation prototype at Muroodzi River only—not a commercial mining right. For all others, the message is clear: stop now, or face immediate enforcement.

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