Online Reporter
Sikhulekelani Moyo, Zimpapers Business Hub
THE Zimbabwe Indigenous Miners Association (Zima) has said linking all small-scale miners in the country to Fidelity Gold Refinery will help reduce the smuggling of metal, hence improving deliveries.
This was said at the Matabeleland North eldership endorsement event held in Umguza on Friday, which was also attended by officials from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ), to conscientise miners on the Zimbabwe Gold currency.
Fidelity Gold Refinery is the country’s sole authorised gold buyer, and eliminating smuggling can have significant and direct benefits to the economy through increased exports. In an interview on the sidelines of the event, Zima national chair Ms Silingiwe Masuku said her organisation was an empowerment and mobilisation programme, established to help youths and women to benefit from mining.
She said youths were spending a lot of their idle time on drug and substance abuse, which was affecting their productivity, hence the need to rope them in on mining activities.
“As Zima, we are trying to create employment for our youths and also empower women, taking into consideration that mining has been a male-dominated space,” said Ms Masuku.
“This organisation is playing a critical role, because we have managed to engage Fidelity, so that we make sure that all the gold, which is produced by small-scale miners, is delivered to Fidelity rather than the black market. We also work with RBZ, and we invited them here to encourage miners to use our local currency.”
Zima secretary Mr Dadiso Brian Maseva said the organisation sought to stimulate economic growth in every province by increasing gold production. He said Zima would ensure that when production increases, they monitor it and see how each province is contributing to the national vision.
“This will contribute to the exponential (economic) growth for the nation, as this will help with employment creation and infrastructure development,” said Mr Maseva.
Zima plans to train small-scale miners to manage activities professionally and promote formalisation.
Mr Peter Mandizvidza, Zima national consultative assembly member, said: “There is going to be a need for us, Zima, to spearhead and facilitate the training of our youths, change them from being Amakorokoza, to be miners.”
“We will be taking them to colleges, and we are looking for collaborations like working with Vocational Training Colleges, and the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, where we will be taking our members to get empowered academically and to know how to do sustainable mining.
“This will help, as these small-scale miners will be contributing to the fiscus.”
Small-scale miners contributed over 65 percent of the 36,48 tonnes of gold Zimbabwe produced in 2024 as the formalisation of artisanal mining continues to pay off.
This impressive gold output not only exceeded the Government’s target of 35 tonnes for the year, but also marked a 21 percent surge from the 30,1 tonnes recorded in 2023.
