Body to expedite artisanal miners registration

THE Zimbabwe Miners Federation’s Special General Council has directed its leadership to expedite the nationwide registration of artisanal and small-scale miners to properly position them to benefit from Government and private sector mechanisation efforts.

ZMF is the umbrella body representing small-scale and artisanal miners who, according to Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando, are important to the sector’s output as the country’s geology dictates that some deposits are more amenable to smallscale mining as opposed to conglomerate operations.

The council also threw its full weight behind the Henrietta Rushwaya-led executive which has had to battle a court challenge by one of ZMF’s affiliates, the Zvishavane-Mberengwa Miners’ Association (ZMMA).

The Special General Council is also of the view that the continued squabbling is an unnecessary distraction to capacitation programmes which the executive has already set in motion.

Among the programmes are the $50 million small-scale chrome mining facility by the Moti Group and the Metbank financed gold centres among others.

In an interview after the meeting which was held in Kwekwe last Friday (attended by 32 mining associations from across as well as all chairmen from the eight mining districts) Ms Rushwaya said the miners expressed eagerness to let business flourish.

“Over and above to throwing its full weight behind its elected leadership, council generally feels that the continued tussling at the top could derail programmes that we had set in motion,” said Ms Rushwaya.

“The miners are eager to see the completion of the nationwide miners’ registration exercise that is set to go a long way in formalising our trade and help in mobilising for the orderly distribution of mining machinery and equipment.

“In as much as we are not conglomerates, we however cannot continue relying on rudimentary mining methods which have for long held back our sector’s potential,” she said.

Meanwhile, under its partnership deal with ZMF, Metbank has undertaken to come on board as the miners’ official financial advisor, take up the fundraising role for the miners’ activities, as well offer general banking services to the sector.