adminIn an interview, ZMF chief executive officer, Mr Wellington Takavarasha, said the meeting this week will be a follow-up to the first consultative meeting on mining fees held two weeks ago.
The first meeting saw Government, through the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, tentatively giving small-scale miners the nod to pay mining fees at old rates while attaching a payment plan on how individual miners would pay the new tariffs.
“We are meeting on Wednesday (this week), where we will come up with a proposal seeking exemption from the new rates in certain mining activities. We are hopeful that the Ministry of Mines will give us an ear so that production by small-scale miners continues to rise,” he said.
Mr Takavarasha would not be drawn into revealing the activities for which ZMF was seeking exemption saying that was tantamount to pre-empting the details before the pending meeting.
Without mine mechanisation programmes, ZMF said, small scale miners managed to produce 2,7 tonnes of gold in 2011, up from two tonnes in 2010.
The peak was in 2004 when they produced 60 percent of the total national gold output of 29 tonnes.
He said ZMF had noted a decrease in mining activities by small-scale miners as a result of the gazetted fees.
“We are not against the idea of increasing the fees, but the increase has to be reasonable in terms of affordability by our members taking into consideration the critical role played by small-scale miners in the economic development of the country.”
Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Gift Chimanikire said he was aware of the pending meeting but could not be drawn into shedding more details.
He said his permanent secretary, Mr Prince Mupazviriho, was privy to the details of the meeting. However, Mr Mupazviriho could not be reached for comment as his phone went unanswered.
An economic commentator, Mr Peter Mhaka, said the increase in mining fees was likely to drive small-scale miners out of business.
The new rates range between $3 000 and $5 million.
Online Reporter