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Lovemore Zigara Business Correspondent
SMALL-scale miners in Zvishavane and Mberengwa District will later this year receive mining equipment from Mimosa Mining Company as part of its corporate social responsibility programme.

The move will go a long way in empowering the small-scale miners and help increase gold output.

The small-scale miners who came together to form a consortium called Zvishavane-Mberengwa Small-Scale Miners Association received 20 jack hammers and compressors from the platinum miner.

Zvishavane-Ngezi legislator, John Holder who helped to source the equipment, said the consortium would operate like a community trust where an administrator will be engaged to manage the equipment.

“I helped them form the Zvishavane-Mberengwa Small-Scale Miners Association so that we get organised as miners. And when I became the House of Assembly Member, I was elevated to become its patron.

“I then engaged Mimosa to assist with basic mining machinery as small-scale miners were struggling due to lack of equipment,” he said.

Members of the association, he said, would have the privilege to use the equipment at concessionary rates while none-members would have to pay relatively higher fees.

“When we get the equipment it will operate in the same way as the community share ownership trust where there’s an elected board and an administrator who’ll come up with programmes,” said Holder.

It is hoped that the mining machinery will be under the custody of the administrator.

President Mugabe is expected to commission the mining machinery later this year when the platinum producer hands over some of its community projects to the locals.

Mimosa has in the last five years poured in more than $1.4 billion into the economy either in new investments or initiatives.