Online Reporter
ARTISANAL and small-scale miners account for close on three quarters of Zimbabwe’s rising gold production and are an extremely critical group who, while earning a living for themselves and their families, ensure that Zimbabwe’s exports continue rising and the currency backed by gold remains stable.
While no one denies the importance of these small-scale producers, they sadly contribute the overwhelming majority of mining deaths, almost all the breaches of environment law designed to minimise and preferably eliminate damage from mining, and most of the problems arising from claim jumping and other similar crimes.
Most are also outside the formal economy.
There has been over the years a lot of talk about the need to formalise the sector and enforce legal, safety and environmental standards, but with only very moderate success and not that much support.
Mining inspectors do their best to teach and enforce safety standards and prevent artisanal miners from moving onto gold claims held by those who either do not want artisanal miners or who have already made arrangements with others.
Environmental officers have been trying to enforce the bans on river bed and river bank mining.
The problem is that these inspectors cannot do much more than make visits to each claim of block being mined and certainly are not there continuously.
Most artisanal miners have to mine claims held by others and while this arrangement can work, often the claim holder just wants whatever payment has been agreed without providing much, if anything, in terms of support.
Now the largest gold mining concern in Zimbabwe, and the holder of the most claims, Mutapa Gold Resources wants to do things differently.
It is at present creating and perfecting a new model arrangement at mines in Silobela, Chegutu and Bindura that offer practical support, a lot of support, to artisanal miners.
This should allow the small miners to boost their output significantly, as surveyors and geologists show them where they should be mining and other experts, such as mining engineers and metallurgists, show how to mine more productively.
Yet this more productive mining is a lot safer and environmental and legal standards are maintained.
Mutapa has worked out contractual arrangements with those mining on its claims, and will take a 30 percent share of gross revenue, but offers significant support in return.
The artisanal miners should be able to cover the contract costs fairly easily, thanks to that highly practical support.
Mutapa has moved far beyond talking about what needs to be done and has generated a contract model that turns the talk into action.
The contracts also ensure that those not producing cannot just keep a contract for speculation and should Mutapa wish to expand, or open a large-scale mine, the contract miners affected will be moved to other parts of the claims.
As Mutapa Gold Resources is making it clear, the objective is not to stop artisanal mining activity, but to ensure that where this is the most obvious way of mining, it is done properly, productively, legally and safely.
All this is essential.
We think that other claim owners who allow artisanal mining might well take note and use similar contractual arrangements.
That would require the claim holder to do their part with the support side, opening doors to independent experts prepared to step in when the claim holder does not keep this sort of talent on the payroll.
The system, in many ways, is hardly revolutionary.
Small-scale farming has become far more productive when practical research and inputs are linked to hard-working farmers.
On a commercial basis, these sort of practical contracts now account for a majority of the tobacco crop and that surge of prosperity across the old and new tobacco areas.
We have been seeing such arrangements in some cases for smaller industries and workshops, where a property owner has discovered that so long as value is offered to those renting premises, then there are better returns, for all.
Small-scale producers can be very efficient and productive when offered decent professional and practical support, covering not just the cost of that support, but also generating higher returns for everyone.
