via Artisanal miners submit to govt’s policy proposal 31 December 2014 by Tarisai Mandizha
Artisanal and Small Scale miners have made submissions to government on the proposed artisanal mining policy which is aimed at increasing gold production by the sector.
In an interview with NewsDay, Zimbabwe Artisanal and Small Scale for Sustainable Mining Council (ZASMC) president Wellington Takavarasha said government had realised the need to recognise the full potential of artisanal miners.
He said the proposed new policy planned to harness the gold artisanal miners have been illegally trading and putting it into the mainstream economy. Artisanal miners would be issued with mining permits enabling them to sell gold to Fidelity Printers and Refinery.
“The whole idea is harnessing and mobilising all gold produced by the artisanal small mining sector thus realising their full potential. The envisaged scenario is increased gold deliveries to government,” Takavarasha said.
He said some of the measures submitted to the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development includes the use of syndication registration and fair trade mining ethos which were expected to efficiently develop areas with abundant natural resources.
Takavarasha said fair trade mining was aimed at harnessing traditional artisanal techniques. It is more efficient, safer and faster and utilises smallscale machinery and more managed production system.
He said part of fair trade mining ethos were reconstituting land fully post extraction and leave a legacy of land that will ultimately be useful for agriculture or forestry rather than just abandoned as wasteland.
Takavarasha said ZASMC has identified mining zones communities that do not have working structures.
“Our field officers have registered mining syndicates at least three and not more than six in those mining districts-gold processing zones. The syndicates have been given identification registration cards that clearly indicate the name of the syndicate and the area operated in,” he said.
“The envisaged scenario is where gold will be remitted to FPR through ZASMC local association right through to FPR mobile buying unit in the nearest growth point.”
Takavarasha said ZASMC had been able to register a record 1600 artisanal miners. He said the organisation could potentially register 128 000 artisanal miners throughout the country.
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