adminMimosa Platinum Mine in Zvishavane, Unki Mines in Shurugwi and Zimplats in Mhondoro-Ngezi are three platinum mines that are not only employing thousands of Zimbabweans but are contributing significantly to the growth of the economy. Zimplats and Unki Mines were the first mining companies to embrace the Government’s initiated Community Share Ownership Scheme Trust (CSOS/T).
Under the scheme, companies exploiting natural resources such as minerals cede a 10 percent stake to communities. The profits from the 10 percent shareholding are then used by communities to fund development projects such as construction of schools, clinics, roads, bridges and many other such projects. The trust is administered by locals who include chiefs, councillors and district administrators among others.
The communities unlike in the past are now benefiting directly from their resources. Zimbabwe, as we have already stated, continues to discover more minerals in the different parts of the country much to the chagrin of its detractors, Britain and its allies that imposed illegal economic sanctions on Zimbabwe to punish the country for embarking on the land reform programme to correct the skewed land ownership.
The challenge to Government is to put in place mechanism that will ensure foreign companies exploiting resources such as minerals do not just plunder our resources to benefit their mother countries as what used to happen in the past. The days when Zimbabwe was just a source of raw materials to develop industries in Britain, America and other such countries whose companies were exploiting our resources are gone.
The Government should make it mandatory for foreign companies to invest in value addition. The companies that are mining platinum for example should have long term plans to set up plants that process the platinum here. It is true that platinum mining has transformed communities in Zvishavane, Shurugwi and Mhondoro-Ngezi but more can be achieved if this platinum is processed here. Now that mechanisms have been put in place for communities to directly benefit from their own natural resources, communities should guard jealously the misuse of their resources.
What quickly comes to mind is the continued smuggling of minerals such as gold and diamonds to neighbouring countries such as South Africa and Mozambique. According to Vice-President Mujuru Government is losing millions of dollars as a result of well oiled gold smuggling syndicates. She said most of the gold produced by small-scale miners was not traded through normal channels that promoted development of basic infrastructure.
The communities where these small-scale miners are operating from are being prejudiced by this smuggling of gold and these communities as we have said should report such unscrupulous miners to authorities. We have already stated that communities are now supposed to benefit directly from their resources and these include the gold mined by small scale miners which should be accounted for.
Online Reporter