No plans to amend Empowerment Act – Nhema

via No plans to amend Empowerment Act – Nhema | The Herald June 27, 2014 by Lloyd Gumbo

Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Francis Nhema yesterday said that there were no plans to amend the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act.
He made the remarks when he appeared before the Portfolio Committee on Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment chaired by Gokwe-Nembudziya legislator Cde Justice Mayor Wadyajena (Zanu-PF).

Mkoba MP Mr Amos Chibaya asked Minister Nhema when amendments to the Act would be introduced given “contrasting pronouncements” from various ministers on implementation of the law.

Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Professor Jonathan Moyo and his Finance and Economic Development counterpart, Patrick Chinamasa recently said Cabinet directed the urgent realignment of investment and empowerment laws so that they reflected a 100 percent ownership of natural resources by Zimbabweans, with investors entering into profit sharing agreements.

But Minister Nhema said that they would scrutinise the Act to check if there was need for amendments.
“When we scrutinise the Act and find it okay then we won’t amend anything, but if we agree that there are areas that need amendments then that is when I will bring it here and tell you about it,” he said.

“We are still scrutinising it and discussing. There are some who are saying let’s do it this way while others are of a different opinion, but we have not agreed as Cabinet that we should consider those views.

“Only then will I be able to say these are the amendments we are talking about. At the moment we have not agreed on the way forward. I will only talk about amendments when we have all agreed. Some people may have some ideas that may be brushed aside by other people, so we will just ignore them.”

Minister Nhema earlier on insisted before the same committee that there was no written evidence on Marange-Zimunya Community Share Ownership Trust.
He said the companies already extracted the precious gems and must pay back to the communities where they operate through the Trust.

He said he was in talks with his Mines and Mining Development counterpart Walter Chidhakwa over after some of the mining firms’ expressed ignorance to the existence of the Trust while other firms said they only pledged $1,5 million each contrary to the $10 million each that was promised when President Mugabe launched the Trust in 2012.

“We are still waiting for the money. I told Minister Chidhakwa that I want the money even if they did not pledge anything because they already mined,” said Minister Nhema.

Cde Wadyajena and Glen View South MP, Mr Paul Madzore (MDC-T) asked how much exactly had been pledged by the firms to which Minister Nhema said he was not aware.

He said the understanding was that the diamond mining firms would each pledge $10 million each like what Zimplats and Unki Platinum Mines had done though Blanket Mine had been allowed to donate $3 million.

Minister Nhema said he could not speculate on how much each diamond company was supposed to pledge since there was no written agreement.
Cde Wadyajena then played a video of the pledges when President Mugabe launched the Trust where former Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Minister Saviour Kasukuwere announced that the five firms had pledged $10 million each.

In the video, Minister Kasukuwere is heard saying Anjin representative, Mr Munyaradzi Machacha would bring $1,5 million for opening of the Trust’s account. Goromonzi West legislator Cde Beatrice Nyamupinga (Zanu-PF) said there was need for the Ministry of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment and their portfolio committee to work closely.