The Sunday News
Sukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
COUNCILLORS in Mangwe District have bemoaned the hype of illicit mining activities being conducted by an uncontrollable bunch of illegal gold panners who have invaded the area.
Speaking during a special full council meeting recently, Councillor Jabulani Dube of Bango area pointed out that the local authority was benefiting little from mining activities because of the illegal panners.
He said strict measures had to be put in place to wipe out the illegal gold panners permanently.
Mining activities commenced recently in the area following the discovery of the mineral.
The local authority attempted to compile a list of miners operating in the area with the hope of introducing a transparent revenue collection system for the mining sector but failed as most of them are unregistered.
“Most of the miners in the district are illegal gold panners and we are getting nothing from them. It is even difficult to make a follow up on them as they are of no fixed aboard. They cannot even be controlled but they are our main source of revenue,” said Clr Dube.
Also speaking at the meeting, National House of Assembly Member for Mangwe, Cde Obedingwa Mguni put the local authority to task to ensure that mining activities benefited the district.
He pointed out that large scale miners operating within the district were from Kezi and the royalties extracted from their produce went to the neighbouring districts.
He said they had raised the issue of illegal miners and the Government was making efforts to invite all artisanal miners to regularise their activities.
“These miners who just move around with the shovels and picks are crucial to the mining sector and they should not be shunned. Alienating them will cause them to carry on selling their gold through informal platforms.
“In 2004 the police carried out operation ‘Chikorokoza Chapera’ and at the end the illegal gold panners were scattered all over and carried their operations in secret,” said Cde Mguni.
He said instead of the local authorities driving away the miners they had to engage them so that they would formalise their activities.
Cde Mguni also pointed out that the reason illegal gold panners were not transparent was because they did not have proper mining equipment to help them boost their production levels.
The councillor of Makorokoro Ward, Clement Majahana also pointed out that the local authority was making little money through farming activities in the district as some farmers were resisting paying taxes.
At the same event Clr Moses Moyo was sworn in as the new councillor for Embakwe Ward.
He is filling in the vacant post which was left by the late Clr Lastboy Ndebele who was killed in a motorbike crash in July.
Ndebele, who died at the age of 25, was the youngest councillor in the district.
