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Legislators have called for the decriminalisation of artisanal mining and declare amnesty to all those that have been convicted of the offence as part of measures to enhance the growth of the mining sector. They said the decision not to arrest artisanal miners would go a long way in making up for de-industrialisation and the low capacity use affecting revenue generation by Government through taxation.
Legislators said this after Chegutu West MP Cde Dexter Nduna (pictured right) moved a motion on Thursday last week calling on Government to repeal some sections of the Gold Trade Act and Mines and Minerals Act which sought to make possession of gold and other minerals without a licence an offence.
Cde Nduna said the success of Government’s economic blue print Zim-Asset was anchored on the formulation of strategies to tap into the informal sector like artisanal mining. There are 500 000 artisanal miners in the country.
“As long as we do not reverse and as long as we do not repeal this Act, as long as we do not change what is enshrined in this section and in this Gold Act, we are criminalising our artisanal miners who have got the antidote, who have got the potential, who have got the answer to de-industrialisation, who have got the answer to optimum usage and exploitation of our God given finite mineral resources,” said Cde Nduna
He said there was need to repeal sections of the Mines and Minerals Act that criminalised prospecting of mineral resources on farming land. Cde Nduna called for the retrospective application of the law in granting amnesty to those convicted of illegal mining. “I ask for this law to be applied in retrospect and make sure that all those that were arrested for artisanal mining and chikorokoza are released from prison,” he said.
Shamva South MP Cde Joseph Mapiki (Zanu-PF) supported Cde Nduna’s argument. He said with challenges of electricity affecting the country, there was need to rope in artisanal miners.
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