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It’s all system go . . . Yagden employees put up finishing touches at their stand ahead of this year’s Mine Entra which started yesterday. (Picture by Eliah Saushoma)

Oliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter
GOVERNMENT has identified one million hectares of protected mining land across the country for distribution to small-scale miners.

Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister, Fred Moyo, revealed this in Bulawayo yesterday while addressing the women in mining breakfast meeting at the ongoing Mining Engineering and Transport (Mine Entra) expo.

He told the gathering that the greater part of the land had gold deposits that would benefit small-scale miners while also boosting the economy.

Deputy Minister Moyo said the documentation relating to the release of the land was being worked on in all the provinces.

“We are in the process of removing the Exclusive Prospecting Orders (EPOs) to allow small scale miners to move in. Remember these are protected areas and once the EPOs are removed, people can move in and start pegging claims,” he said.

Deputy Minister Moyo said women should take advantage of this development so that they also benefit from the country’s mineral resources that have been lying idle.

The breakfast meeting ran under the theme, “Exploring linkages in the mining value chain: Opportunities for women”.

Government has adopted a “use-it-or lose it” policy to encourage investors or mining claim owners to exploit the land they possess to promote economic growth and development.

Deputy Minister Moyo said the release of the land that has mineral deposits, was part of the Government efforts to empower its citizens.

He said in order to assist the small-scale miners, Government had also come up with funding schemes aimed at boosting production.

Addressing the same meeting, Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation president, Retired Senior Assistant Commissioner Apolonia Munzverengwi, implored the Government to consider allocating mining claims under the one million hectares to women in mining.

“We have been crying to the ministry (Mines and Mining Development) to say we’ve got a lot of reserved areas, and most of our people are mining there illegally, we want them to be formalised; we want them to have ownership of land.

“I am happy to say that the ministry has agreed to release one million hectares of land from the reserved areas and women should take advantage of this development to register claims,” she said.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe through the country’s sole gold buyer Fidelity Printers and Refinery recently launched the $40 million Gold Development Initiative aimed at providing loans to small-scale miners.

The mining industry is one of Zimbabwe’s major foreign currency earners contributing about

60 percent of the country’s exports.

Zimbabwe’s mining sector is largely driven by minerals such as gold, platinum and diamond.

@okazunga