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Minister Mpofu said this at the official launch of the Tongogara Community Share Ownership Scheme/Trust (CSOS/T) at Unki Mines in Shurugwi on Wednesday.
President Mugabe officially launched the Government initiated CSOS/T meant to spearhead development and empower rural communities by giving them a 10 percent stake in all business that exploit natural resources in their respective areas.

Minister Mpofu said the country was taking the indigenisation and empowerment programme a step further through crafting a law which will enable the majority of mining claims leased to tributors by foreign owned companies given to the tributors.
“The Government has noted with concern that the majority of mining claims in Zimbabwe belong to foreign owned companies which have leased these mining claims to tributors,” he said.

“We are in the process of coming up with a policy that will allow the Government to issue ownership certificates to those tributors working on those claims and the implementation of this programme will be in the near future.”
Minister Mpofu said foreign owned companies continued to exploit cheap local labour and plunder the country’s resources by giving their mining claims to tributors.
“What is disturbing is that these mines determine the price of the mineral which is being mined on their claims and they don’t allow tributors to find an alternative market. We are saying let those who are working on these mining claims take over  the claims and we wish to advise those locals   who are at the mining claims to remain at the site as we finalise this process of empowering you,” he said.

Minister Mpofu who castigated multi-national mining giant, De Beers for “plundering” the country’s resources under the guise of exploration, said it was high time that locals took control of their resources.
“Foreign owned companies had been the major beneficiaries to our resources. De Beers is one such mining company which for decades has been looting our diamonds in the Marange area and that has to be changed,” he said.
Minister Mpofu said Government’s investigations into the operation of De Beers and its looting of diamonds in the Marange area were going on.

He said the Government would not fold its  hands, but would fight to the end until De  Beers compensated the nation for the looting it did.
“When we started instituting investigations   into their operations, they went on to sell some of their assets to Anglo-American Corporation and     let me warn Anglo-American Corporation that   they have inherited trouble, this is not a threat           but we will seek justice on that,” said Minister Mpofu.

He said Anglo-American Corporation should also denounce Western imposed sanctions.
“We have been struggling under these sanctions and  Anglo-American as the major beneficiaries of our resources should help denounce these illegal sanctions. If they fail to denounce them, then we will be forced to take over those mines they own here,” said Minister Mpofu.
He urged giant platinum mines that include Unki Mines and Mimosa Mining Company to consider putting up a refinery plant locally.

“The value for money is in the by-product that is being sold when all the refinery process which takes place outside the country has been done. The value is not in the ore which we are exporting in its raw form.
“We feel shortchanged and therefore want local mines to put funds together and assemble a platinum refinery plant right here in Zimbabwe, we don’t want that plant to be situated in Harare, no, we want it right at the site, either at Unki Mines or Mimosa,” said Minister Mpofu drawing applause from hundreds of people who gathered to witness the ceremony.-The Chronicle