Gold panning equipment in

GOVERNMENT will start distributing gold panning equipment next month to small scale miners for mining activities to commence, Mines and Mineral Development Permanent Secretary Barnaby Mulenga has said.

Mr Mulenga said the gold panning equipment which was purchased from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) arrived in the country last week.

He was speaking in an interview in Lusaka yesterday.

In a separate interview yesterday, Small Scale Miners Association of Zambia president, Kunda Chani, said several small scale miners had valid mining licences and were only waiting for Government to provide gold panning equipment.

Mr Chani said the association had engaged the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development and was hopeful the ministry would act on the matter as quickly as possible.

“Once Government releases the equipment, small scale miners will go flat out to start the mining activities.

“All our members already have mining licences and are good to start the mining activities once they are empowered with the equipment,” Mr Chani said. But Mr Mulenga assured the association that the distribution exercise would begin next month so that mining could commence.

“I am aware that some of the beneficiaries will be small scale miners in Vumbwi district in Eastern Province and also in various parts of the country. We made a tour to these areas and we assured the miners that the equipment will be given to them,” Mr Mulenga said.