END RUFUNSA GOLD FIASCO

IT is mind-boggling.

Just why should mining equipment that Government has sourced at great cost to jumpstart gold mining in Rufunsa not being used?

The four cooperatives in the district that are supposed to benefit from this project are yet to start using the equipment.

And the reason?

An agreement that they signed with ZCCM-IH over the signing of the mining equipment has not been availed to the local District Commissioner so that he could release it to the cooperatives.

As Chimwetu Gold Mining Cooperative chairman, Emmanuel Tembo explained in an interview on Thursday, the four cooperatives even after agreeing to the terms after a series of discussions with ZCCM-IH, on the use of the equipment were yet to start using it.

He said that the equipment was kept at the office of the District Commissioner on condition that it would only be released after the agreement with ZCCM-IH was signed. This agreement was signed last December.

According to Mr Tembo, the cooperatives were concerned that ZCCM-IH had not even brought back the signed agreement for the cooperatives to present to the District Commissioner.

He pointed out that the District Commissioner cannot release the equipment without proof of the signed agreement and a go ahead from ZCCM-IH.

This is the same equipment that was reported to have delayed the start of organised gold mining in Rufunsa because the cooperatives wanted clarification over ownership.

But this impasse was resolved last December and we would have thought production would be at full throttle.

This so-called hitch is unacceptable because Government has shown commitment to ensure that gold mining is in the hands of Zambians as opposed to illegal miners, most of whom are from neighbouring countries.

As Mr Tembo said, the cooperatives were not mining and therefore could not even trade with ZCCM-IH because they had no gold to sell.

He said that the only trade that was going on in Rufunsa was between illegal gold miners and private buyers. Why should it be so?

We do recall that a year ago, Minister of Mines and Minerals Development Richard Musukwa said the government would provide gold panning equipment to the gold panning communities and cooperatives.

In addition, Mineral Development Permanent Secretary Barnaby Mulenga reported that Cabinet had approved plans to relax requirements in the mining sector to allow locals to fully participate by relaxing mining licences and formalisation of artisanal practice in the mining of gold as a first step first.

As Mr Mulenga explained, Government wants to ensure the mining licence requirements are relaxed so that locals take up the mining of gold.

But from the look of things, it appears that there are some people intent on putting bottlenecks in a programme that is critical to improving the country’s economic outlook.

Let Government step into the Rufunsa fiasco and ensure that its programmes are actualised, and not held up under unexplained reasons that are not making sense.

It is gratifying that the cooperatives are keen to work and deal with ZCCM-IH which they say is offering a good price as opposed to the private buyers.

There is already goodwill from the cooperatives and the more reason why whoever is frustrating them is flushed out.