The Sunday News
Vusumuzi Dube,Municipal Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council’s move to call for interested parties to venture into mining at a council-owned farm has taken a dramatic twist with reports that only those who had previously expressed interest in the gold claim will be considered.
Ironically, the Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube was early this month barred from taking up the gold claim by councillors saying the mining claim should benefit the city and not an individual.
The councillors suggested the mine should be advertised through the invitation of interested parties to bid for the project.
The mine is located at the council-owned Goodhope Farm. However, in the latest development it has emerged that there was a heated debate a couple of weeks ago during an Environmental Management and Engineering Services committee meeting between council officials and councillors with the officials claiming that advertising the bid in the local Press would cause pandemonium hence the need to limit the call for bids to only those who had previously expressed interest.
Councillors on the other hand felt this would raise a lot of questions considering that Mr Dube was one of those who had shown interest in the mine.
“Officials are suggesting that we only consider those that had previously expressed interest; they felt that advertising in the local Press would cause an unnecessary gold rush hence the need to limit the call for interested bidders. The officials were suggesting that to avoid any scrutiny from anyone who would question why they would have not advertised the call for bidders they would then argue that the motion would be available in the council minutes which was a public document, only available after someone paid a minimal amount,” said the council source.
The source further revealed that the matter had reached a deadlock with all parties stating their concerns but it was now up to the full council meeting set for Wednesday to decide on the best route to take. Questioned on this impending impasse during a media briefing held in the council chambers a couple of weeks ago, Mr Dube referred the question to the city’s chamber secretary, Mrs Sikhangele Zhou, who said the issue was still under deliberation.
“It would be prejudice for us to comment on this issue as it is still being deliberated by councillors. I am sure it will be up for discussion during our next full council meeting, I would advise you to come to the meeting to hear for yourself what the local authority will eventually decide,” said Mrs Zhou.
The local authority is on record saying mining is not council’s core activity, but its main role is to provide an enabling environment for business, including mines to thrive, hence they were not going to take up mining as a possible venture.
Council senior public relations officer Mrs Nesisa Mpofu is quoted saying the local authority had been applying for the Special Grant since 2013, but it was only granted this month.
“Council applied to The Mining Commission on 13 December 2013 for a Special Grant to prospect and mine at Good Hope Farm. Further information was supplied in 2014. The Mining Commission did not respond despite numerous reminders. Several visits were made to the Mining Commission offices and the matter was still under consideration. In 2016 after staff restructuring in the Ministry of Mines, another application was lodged which was favourably considered and a Mining Grant was issued in June 2017. It should be noted that without a Special Mining Grant, Council could not carry out mining activities.”
