Govt takes steps to make School of Mines accessible

Business Reporter
THE Government is taking steps to decentralise the operations of the School of Mines to make it accessible at provincial level, an official has said.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa told parliament recently that Government wants to replicate the system adopted by the agriculture sector with its Agritex officers who assist farmers at local level.

Minister Chidhakwa said the move is part of formalising artisanal miners to ensure that they improve on standards, environment and quality of mining.

“Formalisation of artisanal miners is a process. The aspect of introducing the cadastre system is part of the process of formalising the small scale miners, so is the aspect of helping them to do environmental impact assessments and providing them with schools and knowledge,” said Minister Chidhakwa.

“We are in the process of decentralising the School of Mines so that it is able to provide modules to small scale miners at provincial levels,” he said.
He said Government recognises small scale miners but “wants them to do things properly”.

“What agriculture has done with Agritex is what we want to do with the small scale miner. Agritex has people at ward level, to impart knowledge and to help farmers at local level. All that is what we want to replicate,” he said.

Minister Chidhakwa said the Government will soon implement measures that will reduce smuggling of gold. Some of the measures include removing taxes for miners who sell to Government owned Fidelity Printers.

“We seek to ensure that we reduce to the barest minimum the amount of gold that goes out of the system. It’s not an easy process and something that we can do in a short period of time,” said Minister Chidhakwa.

“I have no doubt that the mining sector will recover and that it will contribute very strongly to economic development,” said Minister Chidhakwa.
The Government is currently evaluating proposal from suitors who are angling for tin, gold and asbestos mines. Minister Chidhakwa said that the Government had received several proposal for Kamativi tin mine and Shabanie and Mashaba asbestos mines and for gold mines under the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation.