Mining stakeholders air views on Mines and Minerals Bill

Herald Reporter

STAKEHOLDERS in the mining sector have started contributing towards the Mines and Minerals Bill, which is expected to transform the industry.

Parliament will also take the Bill to the provinces to get the views of the people.

Contributing at a two-day Mines and Minerals Bill Expert Group/Stakeholders meeting on July 15 and 16 in Harare, Zimbabwe Miners Federation chief executive officer Mr Wellington Takavarasha said the new law should clearly define strategic minerals.

“Some countries define strategic minerals on the basis of economic prosperity, defence capabilities and national security. So we need, as Zimbabweans to come up with our own definition in the new law,” he said.

He also said the “use it or lose it” rule in respect of mining claims should apply to all holders of claims as opposed to the present situation, “where it excludes big mining companies”.

The stakeholders included officials from the Office of the President and Cabinet, Parliament of Zimbabwe, Fidelity Gold Refinery, small-scale miners and development partners.

When they broke into groups to deliberate on issues that should be prominent in the new law, the stakeholders raised issues pertaining to formalisation of small-scale miners, heavy investment in communities’ infrastructure development such as roads, employment of locals, value addition and beneficiation.

They also want the new law to articulate the alternatives for small-scale miners who use mercury, which is being phased out and the setting up of health facilities that treat diseases that may be triggered by the mining operations.

It was also recommended that social responsibility programmes should be mandatory while conflicts arising between miners and farmers should be resolved within 90 days to ensure continuity of operations.

The workshop was organised by planetGOLD, a five-year project that is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and executed by IMPACT in partnership with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife.

The programme aims to reduce the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, which is the largest source of anthropogenic emission source of mercury pollution in the world, while improving the health and lives of local mining communities.

In Zimbabwe, the project plans to support 7 500 men and women at 11 mine sites, reducing mercury use by 4,85 tonnes over five years, and supporting the improved management of approximately 76 000 hectares of landscapes.

Recently, the Government of Zimbabwe gazetted the Mines and Minerals Bill, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing reform of the country’s mining legislative framework.

The Bill comes at a time of intensified efforts to formalise and regulate the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector, which plays a critical role in rural livelihoods and the national economy, yet operates largely informally and often outside effective regulatory oversight.

PlanetZimbabwe said, considering the Bill’s gazetting, there is an urgent need to unpack and analyse its provisions, particularly those relevant to the ASGM sector, to ensure they align with sustainable development objectives, promote formalisation, environmental protection, decent work conditions, and the inclusion of marginalised groups, including women and youth.

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