TimothyFreedom Mupanedemo
Government is focusing on reopening all the closed mines in the country with a view of hitting a target of a US$12 billion mining economy by 2030, according to Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister, Polite Kambamura.
Speaking at a devolution breakfast meeting organised by Business Weekly, owned by Zimpapers (1980) group last Friday, Deputy Minister Kambamura said provinces should start submitting closed and ailing mining companies list with the ministry so as to allow Government to retool or take over idle companies under the new “Use it or Lose It” policy.
He said the Midlands province was strategic in pushing the ministry’s vision 2030 target with vast deposits of minerals and a number of mining companies.
“Re-opening of closed mines is the key objective under the ministry’s short to medium economic blue print meant to push through the vision 2030.
“With a favourable geology, the Midlands province is endowed with a plethora of minerals perhaps the highest especially with the rare earth minerals,” he said.
Deputy Minister Kambamura said there are several idle mines in the province that Government could take over and put on the market for consideration by potential investors.
He said ailing mining companies and closed mining companies should also come forward and show-cause why they were closed so that Government could render assistance where necessary.
“There are several dumps in the province that are lying idle. The ministry of mines will enforce the Use it or Lose It policy very soon. Under this policy, holders of mining projects will be required to come forward and show cause to the ministry why they are not utilising the resources and will be required to give specific and minimal time-frames of which failure they will have to cede so that the ground will be opened for other investors,”.
Added the Deputy Minister;
“We call upon the province to identify idle mines and bring them to our ministry.
“The Use It or Lose It policy targets the reopening of closed mines, expansion of mines operating below capacity and opening of new mines as well.”
Deputy Minister Kambamura said under the new devolution stance, mining companies should come up with newly defined social responsibility programmes that benefit the local community.
“Operating mines should come up with sound social responsibility programmes so that we work well with our communities in line with government’s devolution mantra,” he said.
The Deputy Minister said there was a high potential in mining sector and the ministry’s main thrust was to improve on production and beneficiation.
“Our desire is to ramp up production and promote value addition and beneficiation for our minerals so that we derive maximum value,” he said.
He said the ministry was also establishing provincial mining committees to spearhead production as well as improving on efficiency in line with devolution.
“The ministry is coming up with mining provincial committees, these will assist in resolving disputes, which have also rendered some of our mining asserts idle for a long time. The provincial mining committee will consist of officials from the Environmental Management Agency, (EMA, Zimbabwe National Water Authority, Local Government and immigration.
The ministry look forward to work hand in hand with the provinces for the benefit of not only the province but the nation at large,” he said.
The highly successful breakfast meeting was attended by Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo, Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Larry Mavima, Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs Minister Marry Mliswa, senior civil servants and captains of industry.
Bongani Ndlovu