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Herald Reporter
FORMER employees of Jumbo Mine in Mazowe who organised themselves into artisanal mining syndicates at the mine as part of a deal over unpaid salary arrears of US$18 million have appealed to Government to regularise their operations and end the dispute with the mine owners.
The former workers are embroiled in a dispute with Metallon Gold, the South African-headquartered mining giant which ceased operations at the mine in 2016 owing to operational challenges.
As the mine closed, then Metallon chairman Mr Mzi Khumalo offered the group’s workers a stake in the mine to offset liabilities in salary arrears.
Since then, the ex-workers have been mining but with zero security as Metallon has on a number of occasions, signalled an intent to stop them from continuing and stop them formalising operations.
Secretary general of the combined workers and contractors committee Mr Knowledge Rutavi said as ex-mine workers, their hope was that the Government would intervene to regularise their operations and ensure that the ongoing tiff with Metallon did not recur.
“We are seeking to be economically empowered and are appealing for the support from the Government to ensure that the envisaged Vision 2030 becomes a reality. We want to ensure that gold becomes the bedrock of the envisaged empowerment drive,” he said.
However, with the ongoing on and off row with Metallon, the miners could not tie down long term plans and finances to ensure continuity of their operations.
“The ex-workers are therefore calling for Government intervention for the regularisation of their operations,” said Mr Rutavi.
The battle for control of operations between the ex-workers and Metallon has now become protracted amid fears that the mine owners will never meet their salary obligations to their former workers.
Women and youths have been some of the biggest beneficiaries of the Government’s drive to incorporate artisanal miners into organised mining syndicates that can significantly contribute to the country’s fiscus.
Online Reporter