adminRumbidzayi Zinyuke Mutare Bureau
Small-scale and artisanal miners in Manicaland have called on Government to reduce mining licence fees.
They also called for the relaxation of the registration conditions to expedite the formalisation of the sector and increase production.
Government is in the process of formalising small-scale mining across the country, but the exercise is facing challenges, including leakages that continue to be registered in the sector.
Speaking during public consultative meetings organised by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to gather input for the amendment of the Gold Trade Act and the Precious Stones Act last week, miners and other members of the community in Marange and Odzi, said they were failing to sell their gold to Government because they did not have the required licences.
Mr Eldon Chapfukapasi from Mutasa Trust said most miners could not afford the exorbitant fees charged by Government.
“If miners manage to get the licences, they are usually left with no capital to start mining,” he said.
“They are usually forced to borrow from the bank, but they do not have the collateral.”
Mr Chapfukapasi said miners should be able to use the geological survey on their claims to borrow money from banks, which they can pay off once they start selling their minerals to Government.
Manicaland is endowed with lots of minerals, with gold and diamond contributing the biggest chunk of revenue.
An ordinary gold prospecting licence is pegged at $200, while registration fees for mining claims on the same piece of land is $1 000.
A diamond processing permit costs $20 000.
But miners in the province say the figures are too high and should be reduced to cater for all those interested in selling to Government.
Cde Robert Gumbo, chairman of the Zimbabwe National War Veterans’ Association’s Manicaland chapter, said exorbitant licence fees were contributing to leakages in the gold industry.
“Gold panners usually sell their gold to agents who have licences to sell to Fidelity Printers to avoid the hustle of licences,” he said.
“These agents are the ones who then take that gold outside the country and sell it at higher prices.”
Cde Gumbo said the amended Gold Trade Act should allow miners to get prospecting licences for free on the understanding that once they start getting gold from their claims, they would be compelled to sell to Fidelity Printers on a stop order system.
He said this would enable Government to gradually collect the money owed for licence fees from the miners.
“This could be a very successful way of controlling these gold panners and their activities since Government will have them on their radar and also have the means to collect fees from them,” said Mr Gumbo.
Speaking at a meeting in Marange, Mr Edwin Gurudza, said the new laws governing the trade in gold and diamonds should have a provision for locals to freely sell any mineral they found.
There have been reports that people in Marange sometimes find diamonds on the surface in their fields, but the fear of being arrested is forcing them to find alternative buyers.
The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development is seeking to redefine the term “possession” and establish whether those locals who find gems should be charged.
The ongoing amendment of the Gold Trade Act and the Precious Stones Act will synchronise the two acts, with the amended Mines and Minerals Act and other laws that govern the gold and diamond sectors, such as the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act, the Environmental Management Act, the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe Act and the Criminal Law (Codification and reform) Act.
The first drafts of the amended Acts are expected to be tabled in Parliament by year end.
Online Reporter