Govt moves to incorporate small-scale miners
THE Government is working on coming up with a dedicated department to cater for small-scale miners within the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development in a bid to improve their production and contribution to the mining sector.
Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) chief executive officer Mr Wellington Takavarasha said the Government’s realisation of the significant contribution brought about by small-scale miners to the mining sector and the economy has prompted the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to come up with a department to specifically deal with small-scale miners’ issues.
“There is now a small-scale miners’ desk, which is going to be functional soon and personnel from the Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Ministry has been seconded to specifically deal with small-scale miners’ issues. The Ministry of Mines (and Development) also noted the importance of ZMF as it has indicated that we are going to be meeting on weekly basis to discuss issues about small-scale miners. Over and above all when the Minister (Winston Chitando) spoke about attaining a US$12 billion mining industry he indicated that US$4 billion will be coming from small-scale miners. The ministry has begun to see the significance and potential of smallscale miners,” he said.
Mr Takavarasha, however, said there was a need for Government to expedite the formalisation of artisanal miners’ activities to enable them to contribute effectively to the mining sector.
“We still need the issue of formalisation to be addressed as a matter of urgency because it gives people mining titles and if they get the titles they will actively get involved in the mainstream economy. There is also a need to look into the issue of the Gold Trade Act because the police have started arresting people without proper documentation. Before the arrests there was an upsurge in gold deliveries but if there are arrest the gold is traded outside the formal market. It is estimated that the gold traded outside the formal market is about a tonne per month conservatively though it could be more. We still deserve to be recognised properly by being put in the mainstream economy, this is our biggest challenge which we are working flat out with the ministry,” he said.
Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Polite Kambamura confirmed the setting-up of a smallscale miners’ desk but could not be drawn to comment more only saying: “it’s still work in progress”.
He, however, said the Government would this year introduce a number of policy measures aimed at creating an enabling environment for small-scale miners.