By Correspondent.
Harare, Zimbabwe (News of The South) – A local environmental expert has made sensational claims that Zimbabwe’s mining policy cannot lift the country out of poverty.
He alleges the mining activities in the country had actually become the source of problem as opposed to empowering citizens because of the confusion within the mining and youth policies.
Speaking during the one day Mining for sustainable development multi stakeholder dialogue, organised by Transparency International Zimbabwe (TIZ), Centre for Natural Resource and Governance executive director Farai Maguwu the country at the moment with its current mining policy is not set to achieve industrialisation nor diversification as what we are getting from the exports are ‘peanuts’.
“I really do not think mining will lift Zimbabwe out of poverty, if anything it is actually a cause of poverty and not economic empowerment. So for me a youth policy that is dynamic must actually take away the youths from mining to other sectors of the economy such as agriculture, IT and other initiatives that are not as harmful and destructive to the environment as mining.
“So we are not really set to achieve industrialisation through mining; diversification through mining. Mining in the current context is for exports. And what we are getting from these exports are peanuts and we are better off leaving our minerals in the ground than selling them.
He challenged the youths to venture into other projects that are sustainable other than venturing into mining.
“I encourage the youths to be organised to other sectors of the economy which are more sustainable than mining. For example in Penhalonga where DTZ used to store its gold as of last year there were thousands of people who were digging along the Mutare river.
Today the place is deserted they have moved to another place. And when they left they did not rehabilitate the place; they just left. Think about the whole country we have got hundreds of thousands of people who believe artisinal mining is the way out. If this is the practice, think about Zimbabwe in 15years to come what kind of country will it be? This is destructive mining,” fumed Maguwu.
Zimbabwe Natural Resource Forum director Freeman Bhoso also weighed in saying the youth sector in the country constitute about 65-68percent are within the ages of 0-35years which by definition are the youths in Zimbabwe.
80-95percent of the country’s population are unemployed it becomes important to mainstream the youth policy with regards to specific departments of government such as the Ministry of Mining and Mining development.
He said the ministry’s mandate should probably be guided by a mainstreamed national youth policy to guarantee a quota system on youths for allocation of mines for the youths.
“I think what is fundamental is to appreciate that 80-85 percent of the country’s population is unemployed. So its important to mainstream the national youth policy with regards to specific departments of Government and Ministries.
“In this case the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development should be guided by a mainstreamed national youth policy to guarantee a quota system within their allocation of mining titles for youths across the country. So that they are not put in the same bracket with those already capacitated to buy as many claims as possible, that is one of the biggest challenge on the mining licence regime in the country,” said Bhoso.
He highlighted that it was also important to reflect on statistical data with regards to remittance. Bhoso made a comparison where last year artisinal small scale miners contributed approximately 17 tonnes of gold while multi national companies contributed 11tonnes of gold.
“Small scale artisinal miners contributed 17tonnes of gold while multi national companies contributed 11tonnes of gold. The question there is how do we quantify or come up with a quantum of the contribution of illegal miners who are in my perception are the biggest chunk and belonging in the youths category?
Our government without a clear mineral licence regime which makes sure it harnesses or ringfences mineral proceeds from the youth sector. There has to be a deliberate inclination to make it easy within the jurisdiction of youths to compete within the mining sector” Bhoso noted.
At the moment the Mines and Minerals Act as a Bill is still hanging and youths organisations in the resource sector should continue to lobby for the mainstreaming of the youth policy in the context of the Mines and Minerals Act.
Bhoso urged the Government to promulgate mechanisms that guarantee that youths are not disenfranchised, youths are captured and encapsulated in a licencing regime that is transparent and includes their aspirations.
Elsewhere CNRG director noted that he was not optimistic that the upcoming Mines and Minerals Bill with regards to artisinal mining was going to address the chaos.
“The bill does not directly address the issue of artisinal mining and still ties up mining activities and artisinal mining as if they are one activity yet they are completely different.
We will see the continuation of fluctuation between illegality and legality. The Bill seeks to secure the interests of the ruling elite. It is not meant to administer the mining sector transparently even in terms of giving the public information on mining activities,contracts that Government engages with investors.
“There is secrecy it does not give Parliament the power to play its oversight role to monitor how the executive is negotiating mining deals. So as long as mining is still between the President and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and some powerful military people, minerals will to be the main reason for our poverty and suffering in the country,” added the CNRG boss.
Maguwu blasted the Government arguing that the Minerals Bill has been on the cards since year 2000 and there has been successive Ministers coming up with their own version of the Bill.
He said there was no political will to put an overhaul in the mining sector because the chaos currently prevailing was organised chaos which was benefitting the ruling elite.
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