The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) has issued Environmental Protection Orders to Sabi Star Lithium Mine in Buhera and Gwanda Lithium Mine, strictly suspending all heavy-truck movements due to severe dust emissions.
The regulatory body invoked Section 37(4) of the Environmental Management Act to enforce the suspension.
The mines are now legally prohibited from operating haulage trucks until they submit and implement comprehensive dust management plans.
EMA officials confirmed that the crackdown follows persistent complaints from local communities regarding high volumes of fugitive dust generated by mine transport vehicles.
The dust has heavily impacted air quality and visibility along major transit routes in both the Buhera and Gwanda districts.
Under the issued orders, both mining entities must deploy immediate mitigation measures such as consistent water bowser spraying and present a long-term engineering solution to suppress dust before the transport bans can be lifted.
The suspension of heavy-vehicle transport effectively stalls the logistics and distribution networks for both lithium projects.
Sabi Star and Gwanda Lithium have not yet issued formal public responses regarding how the transport freeze will impact their daily production outputs or contractual shipping deadlines.
EMA has warned that failure to comply with the protection orders will result in further legal sanctions, including hefty fines or a complete shutdown of all mining operations. 
