Minister Chitando to engage artisanal miners in Kwekwe

Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
THE Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Winston Chitando, is expected to engage artisanal miners in Kwekwe today during the first segment of the two-day mining indaba organised by the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF).

The gathering is expected to iron out mining operations issues that hamper productivity and map strategies towards achieving the US$12 billion mining economy by 2023.

ZMF chief executive officer, Mr Wellington Takavarasha, confirmed that Minister Chitando and his deputy, Polite Kambamura, would grace the Friday segment while Saturday has been set aside for a closed door ZMF annual general meeting. More than 40 ZMF affiliate associates are expected to attend the indaba.

“The Government is set to meet a cross section of mining stakeholders this Friday to iron out challenges that pose as stumbling blocks to our quest of achieving a US$12bn mining economy by 2023,” said Mr Takavarasha.

He said the meeting was also set to promote ease of doing business and creating channels for the Government to incentivise the sector.

“A number of issues will be discussed. We have disputes that take too long to be solved. Some are being created at administration level while some are being created at bureaucratic level so all those issues have to be discussed, of course among other issues,” said Mr Takavarasha.

Supplier companies are expected to showcase latest mining technologies and equipment that should aid innovativeness and better solutions to the mining sector.