The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE Government has reaffirmed its commitment to continue supporting miners and their productive activities, with the country on course to achieve the US$12 billion mining industry target by 2023.
Zimbabwe is said to be halfway through in terms of achieving the set targets, pointing out that the gold mining sector in general had blossomed over the last few years.
Speaking at the inaugural Young Miners Field Day in Bubi District, Matabeleland North Province on Thursday, Minister of State for Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Richard Moyo said the Government stood committed to support young miners.
Photo Credit: iStockphoto
“As witnessed at this historic and extraordinary event, that is the first Young Miners Field Day to be held in our Province, young miners are doing great things.
If they are showing such great initiative by organising such progressive gatherings, it remains our responsibility therefore as Government, private sector and local organisations to assist them and see their dreams come true,” said Minister Moyo.
The event was put together by the Young Miners Foundation (YMF) and Zimbabwe Miners Foundation (ZMF) Youths in Mining to celebrate Mr Marino Arimando, a young miner in Bubi District of Ulinda Granger Mine who has managed to formally and professionally operate a small-scale enterprise from nothing to stardom.
Ulinda Granger Mine is a mechanised small-scale gold mine with close to 100 formally employed workers and has been religiously selling its output to Fidelity Gold Refineries (FGR) as evidenced by their production records and receipts. The event ran under the theme, “Young Miners leaving no one and no place behind towards a sustainable US$12 billion mining economy.”
Minister Moyo also encouraged miners to formalise and professionalise mining activities as a way of curbing minerals leakages.
Mr Arimando said as youths in mining from Matabeleland North they were working tirelessly to contribute to the attainment of the Government’s US$12 billion mining industry target by 2023.
“The Second Republic has made sure that it delivers an environment where business can thrive and be competitive under the ease of doing business reforms.
This has motivated us as youths in mining in this province to take mining seriously and as a business. We believe that the Government’s US$12 billion mining industry target by 2023 is achievable and we are positively contributing to that by continuously selling our mining output to FGR as our records speak for themselves,” he said.
Photo Credit: iStockphoto
Mr Arimando said his mining business model involved the whole value chain from extracting the ore to milling and the cyanidation process so as to fully maximise the mining process.
YMF chief executive officer (CEO) Mr Payne Kupfuwa said as young miners their goal was to take mining as a business and not as a poverty driven initiative or a get rich quick scheme.
He said as an organisation they were working tirelessly to upscale about 100 mines owned by young miners from small scale to medium scale by 2025.
ZMF Matabeleland North chairperson Ms Jane Lusinga and the secretary for youth Mr Nkululeko Ngwenya said they will continue to educate miners in the province on the importance of formalising and operationalising their mining activities.
Ministry of Mines and Mining Development provincial mining director (PMD) for Matabeleland North Mr Farayi Ngulube commended the miner for having all the records in place and encouraged other miners to learn from Mr Arimando.
He urged miners to comply with the law and get all the requisite licences to avoid being caught on the wrong side.
