EPOs hampering mining growth — ZMF

mining operations, an official said yesterday.
An EPO confers the exclusive right to prospect for specified minerals in a particular area.
Chairman of the Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation Mr Trynos Nkomo said the prospecting regulations had left small-scale players “with no room for expansion”.
“The big houses (mining) have acquired huge chunks of land which they continue to hold without working year- after-year.”
According to current legislation, the maximum period for operating an EPO is six years, initially for three years and possible extension for another three years.
Nkomo said some large-scale miners were holding onto claims for speculative purposes.
“The EPOs need to have a limited, shorter period of time and need to be closely monitored to ensure exploration work is being done, not speculation,” he said.
He said the fortunes of small gold miners had improved, buoyed by firming prices on the international market, noting, however, that there was no room for expansion.
“As a result of firming prices there has been improvement in terms of production and development of small-scale mines but the operators are hemmed in by large players,” he said
“If we continue to have long-term EPOs, small miners cannot expand,” he added.
Mr Nkomo said this had bred illegal gold panning.
“The land held has rich deposits of gold which is now fuelling illegal panning resulting in the gold getting to places it cannot be accounted for,” he said.
He also called on the Government to expedite the granting or rejection of EPOs to facilitate production in reserved areas.
“Operations cannot be done in a reserved area until a decision has been reached, the process of reaching a decision has to be faster to uplift the exclusivity,” said Mr Nkomo. – New Ziana.