Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
Miners delivered over 46 tonnes of gold to the Government last year, with the mining sector remaining the cornerstone of the economy, Mines and Mining Development Minister, Dr Polite Kambamura, said.
Dr Kambamura said this on Monday while opening a training workshop for mine inspectors in Harare.
“The mining sector remains the engine room of the national economy, contributing in excess of 75 percent of total export earnings and anchoring the attainment of Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2). Gold alone delivered 46,729 kg to Fidelity Gold Refinery in the last reporting cycle, translating into more than US$ 5,2 billion in mineral revenue,” he said.
“With record investment now flowing into lithium, platinum group metals, chrome and coal — and with the reopening of historical assets and the rapid expansion of artisanal operations — the volume and complexity of work falling on your shoulders has never been heavier.
“We need to aim at the sun. When we fall, we fall on the moon. With record investments now flowing into the gold sector, the lithium sector, the chrome sector, the coal sector and the reopening of historical assets and the rapid expansion of artisanal mining operations, the volume and the complexity of work falling on our shoulders have never been this heavy.”
The minister said that mining remains one of the pillars of the country’s economy, creating employment, generating income and driving development, there was need to prioritise safety in the sector, saying no mineral was more important than human life.
