The Sunday News
Hazel Marimbiza, Sunday News Reporter
TRADITIONAL leaders in Binga have called for mining companies to involve locals in their mining activities saying it is sad that investors have a tendency of importing labour from as far as Harare even for menial jobs.
They said it was disheartening that several mining investors have established mines in various parts of Binga but residents were not benefiting from the mining projects yet they were living in poverty.
Chief Pashu told Sunday News that said it was wrong that mines register claims in different areas of Binga, but they do not want to employ the locals from where they would be doing the mining.
“If people have interest in a given field, then they should go through the appropriate routes. They should express their interest to the local leaders who will also alert community members about investments they will be undertaking in the community. However, these organisations come with Government documents which allow them to cut our trees, and mine in our areas so there is nothing we can do to stop them although this is morally wrong,” he said.
According to Chief Pashu Binga has 66 samples of different minerals some of which are coal, iron ore, copper, tin and lithium which if properly utilized could enhance most villagers lives. He said most of the investors mine several minerals but locals were not involved.
“Livelihoods of people in our communities should be improved if there are companies investing in our area, but investors come from cities like Harare and they bring everything including employees even for the most odd jobs that can be done by locals. Perhaps, what is most disturbing is that most of their employees are their relatives. Our communities will not develop if this continue happening. We are surprised and disappointed about these companies that are under developing our areas by not recognizing our people yet they sustain their furnaces with our minerals. That’s a colonial mentality that we should move past,’ said Pashu.
Chief Pashu added that villagers were frustrated with what was going on because they were struggling to fend for their families as most of them were unemployed.
“Most of our community members want to be employed, but so far our area has few job opportunities yet there are more than a dozen mines that are reluctant to employ locals. In most cases people rely on fishing and limited farming. We have been waiting for more mines that we were promised would be opening such as Kamativi mine and we are hoping if it opens then our people will also be employed and alleviate themselves from poverty,” said Chief Pashu.
He said he hoped that some of those complaints from people in Binga were going to be looked into when the Government rolls out devolution which he said was going to bring opportunities to the locals to decide what to do with their resources.
