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Councillors reportedly agreed last month that the council should venture into mining and take advantage of the gold on its properties, instead of letting gold panners “steal it”.

According to a recent council report from the finance and development committee, the local authority is assessing the gold deposits at Goodhope Farm and Farm “A” near Cement Siding.

In an interview yesterday, the Mayor, Councillor Thaba Moyo, confirmed that council would soon be venturing into mining.

He said it was a way for council to raise alternative revenue and ease the load on overburdened ratepayers.

“We have identified two sites at the Ingwebu Breweries run Aisleby Farm and we have sent applications to the relevant ministries so that we start benefiting from the mineral. Gold panners have over the years defaced our farms where the mineral is found. We have decided that revenue from the deposits will help develop the city’s infrastructure in the long run,” said Clr Moyo.

He said council wanted to build an affordable Bulawayo where financing of activities did not depend totally on the ratepayer.

“Preparations are at an advanced stage and the relevant departments are working round the clock to secure the necessary documents for us to start mining. We cannot just sit and watch panners stealing from our farms,” said Clr Moyo.

The Mayor said the cattle ranching and crop irrigation activities on the farm would not be suspended but would exist side by side with the mining venture.

“As long as our mining is carried out under expert guidance, there will be no problem. Farming is thriving despite the random panning activities. I think it would be improved when we move in and start doing things in a structured way,” said Clr Moyo.

The confidential report urged council to send a team to quantify the gold deposits on the two other farms.

“We need to explore how council can tap into the lucrative gold mining that is possibly going on at some council properties such as Goodhope Farm and Farm ‘A’ near Cement Siding,” read the report.

Gold panners have since 2004 been wreaking havoc at Aisleby Farm after a mining syndicate that claimed to have been granted a mining licence descended on the farm.

Since then other unlicensed miners have dug deep pits and shallow craters that are endangering livestock at the farm.

Despite having armed guards patrolling the premises 24 hours a day since last year, panning has been going on unchecked.

Last year, FET mining syndicate director, Mr Emmanuel Chasi, accused Ingwebu employees at the farm of carrying out gold panning and accepting bribes from other people to allow them to dig for gold at Aisleby.

Mr Chasi argued that the presence of armed guards should deter panners but fresh pits were always being dug despite the guards.

He said the development showed that the panning was an inside job.

The then Ingwebu Breweries general manager (marketing and corporate affairs) Mr Nkosana Prince Ndlovu, dismissed the allegations, saying many people had been arrested for panning at Aisleby and none of them had been part of the company’s workforce.