Minister to meet miners

Oliver Kazunga Business Reporter
MINES and Mining Development Minister Dr Obert Mpofu is expected to address artisanal and small-scale miners in Bulawayo on Friday on issues affecting their operations. The meeting was organised by the Zimbabwe Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Council (ZASMC), a body that represents the interests of small-scale and artisanal miners in the country.

“We have invited Dr Mpofu (Mines and Mining Development Minister) to address us at the Zimbabwe School of Mines on 21 June. The issues that we would want to be addressed include royalty taxes, land disputes between farmer and miner, unilateral tax charges by rural district councils.

“High royalties have impacted negatively on gold deliveries to Fidelity Printers and Refiners. We suggest that the royalties on gold be reviewed downwards from seven percent to two or three percent.

“Due to high royalty tax, last year artisanal and small-scale miners delivered only two tonnes of gold to Fidelity Printers and Refiners and billions of dollars worth of gold was illicitly traded,” said ZASMC president Mr Wellington Takavarasha.

He said the regulation on land had been misunderstood by most farm owners and consequently have often chased away or barred artisanal and small-scale miners from conducting mining operations on farms.

“This has spilled over to the courts for arbitration. So, artisanal and small-scale miners have lost time of operational activity. Rural District Councils (RDCs) do not have uniform unit tax charge for artisanal and small-scale miners.

“For example, in Hurungwe district RDC officers visit mining operators every month demanding for $200 which relates to $2 400 per annum. Pfura RDC in Mashonaland Central had gazetted the artisanal and small-scale miners to pay $8 000 which we challenged. We request that the RDCs charge the same affordable unit tax countrywide,” he said. Mr Takavarasha said a similar event would also be held in Bindura on 25 June.

Small-scale miners play a critical role in national economic development with 60 percent of the 29 tonnes of gold that Zimbabwe produced in 2004 coming from artisanal and small-scale miners.

The Government has pledged to support the growth of the small-scale mining industry through crafting policies that promote sustainable operations by players in the sector.