The Sunday News
Dumisani Nsingo, Senior Business Reporter
THE amendment of the Mines and Minerals Act to make minerals exploration more transparent, accountable and sustainable has gathered momentum with the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) insisting that the legislation should accommodate artisanal and small-scale miners as they contribute significantly to the growth of the mining sector and the country’s economy.
ZMF chief executive officer Mr Wellington Takavarasha said there was a need to develop policies and design services that respond to the needs of artisanal and small-scale miners.
He said this at an artisanal and small-scale miners — Mines and Minerals Bill consultative meeting held at the Zimbabwe School of Mines in Bulawayo on Friday.
The consultative meetings would be held in all the country’s mining regions in an effort to have artisanal and small-scale miners’ input included in the formulation of a new Mines and Minerals policy.
“Speaking at one of the Parliamentary sitting, the Speaker of Parliament (Jacob Mudenda) observed that artisanal miners’ full potential must be realised as a pivotal cog of macro-economic development driven by the mining sector.
“Production statistics details bear testimony of a robust role played by the small scale miners in the economic matrix of the country and as such there is a need to put in place a legal regime that recognises their role by having statutory provision that realises their existence,” Mr Takavarasha said.
The revised provisions are intended to promote investment as well as sustainable development.
Amendments to the Mines and Minerals Act have been in the pipeline for several years now, but nothing tangible has been done.
If the Mines and Minerals Act, crafted in 1963, is amended, it is likely to promote investment and sustainable development.
It is also likely to guarantee security of tenure and aid efficient use of land, as well as solve land conflicts between miners and farmers.
“The present Mines and Minerals Act does not have a policy framework for artisanal and small-scale miners. For instance we would like to see registration tailor made specifically for artisanal and small-scale miners as is the case in countries such as Tanzania and Zambia which is more of a three-tier system.
“Artisanal and small-scale miners have to play a major role in the mainstream economy and they can only be able to do so particularly if they are formalised, as it is all the 40 legislative issues hammer the small-scale miner,” Mr Takavarasha said.
Only 16 percent of the artisanal and small-scale miners are properly registered in terms of the Mines and Minerals Regulation Act.
About 25 000 small-scale miners are registered, but 500 000 are involved in artisanal and small-scale mining. Of that, 153 000 are women and children.
ZMF organising secretary Mr Thembinkosi Sibanda said there was a need to come up with pieces of legislation that promote the development of small-scale miners so as to create an enabling environment to ensure that they contribute to the growth of the country’s economy.
“As long as the small-scale miners are being compared or subjected to the same laws as the bigger players their growth will always be stifled. It has to be understood that being a small-scale miner is a step towards being big and the sustainability of the small-scale miners can only be achieved if we are to have a legislation that promotes their growth,” Mr Sibanda said.
