The Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Hon. Owen Mudha Ncube, has called on Artisanal and Small-scale Miners (ASM) to mine responsibly. He emphasized the importance of adhering to underground plans, purchasing explosives only from registered suppliers, and strictly following safety procedures.
Addressing members of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) in Gweru on Thursday, Ncube highlighted that the growth of ASM in the province has had unintended negative consequences on sustainable and responsible mining. He urged miners to adhere to safety, health, and environmental standards.
“The growth of the mining sector has its fair share of unintended outcomes that negatively affect sustainable mining. Provisions of Statutory Instruments such as SI 109 of 1990, Mining (Management and Safety) Regulations, which provide for the establishment and submission of survey maps as well as underground plans to the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, have been violated. Miners should avoid buying explosives from unregistered suppliers and desist from using these explosives without adhering to standard safety procedures,” said Ncube.
Furthermore, Ncube stressed the importance of providing protective clothing for mining workers as both a safety and regulatory requirement. He also urged compliance with the Mining (Health and Sanitation) Regulations, ensuring the provision of clean water, ablution facilities, and health services to all employees in line with the national vision of achieving an upper middle-income society by 2030.
“In light of the above, there is no compromise in the provision of social infrastructure and services in mining areas,” Ncube stated.
The Midlands Minister also encouraged ASM to invest in infrastructure, such as road networks and modern housing for workers, to ensure that mining benefits local communities directly.
“Since the inception of the Second Republic, the Devolution and Decentralisation Policy now underpins the development of critical infrastructure like housing, roads, boreholes, dams, and power generation. I urge the mining sector to emulate the Government by providing decent housing, ablution facilities, quality roads, water reticulation, and recreational facilities for their workers and communities in their areas of operation. Corporate Social Responsibility should address local community needs and problems to make it sustainable and mutually beneficial,” Ncube stated.
Hon. Ncube applauded miners in Shurugwi, Zvishavane, and Mberengwa for their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, such as drilling boreholes and establishing community projects.
“I applaud some mining entities for their CSR programs implemented in Shurugwi, Mberengwa, and Zvishavane, where they funded projects such as borehole drilling and equipping, the establishment of nutrition gardens, as well as the solar electrification of health care facilities, among others. I urge other mining entities to follow these sustainable socio-economic interventions covering areas such as food and nutrition security, drug and substance abuse mitigation, gender-based violence elimination, communicable diseases control, and provision of health and education support.”
Ncube emphasized the need for miners to fulfil their financial obligations to local authorities to ensure quality service delivery. He also directed government agencies to engage with miners to streamline the ease of doing business.
“The era of leaving infrastructure like housing, roads, boreholes, dams, and power generation is regrettable and unacceptable. The ability of local authorities to provide quality service delivery lies in efficiency in revenue collection. I, therefore, urge all miners to pay their dues to all licensing authorities while I also direct government agencies serving the mining sector to continuously engage miners to expedite ease of doing business through consultation on mining policies and administrative decisions.”
Ncube concluded by urging miners to sell their gold and minerals to approved buyers like Fidelity to help the country account for its wealth and by calling for ethical and responsible mining practices that consider environmental impacts and human rights issues.
“I implore miners to employ ethical and responsible mining as global markets now consider the long-term impact of extraction methods on the environment as well as human rights issues. I urge the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, local authorities, and EMA to descend heavily on errant mining entities violating statutory provisions. All mining areas should be reclaimed in line with the clean air and green environment approach,” Ncube said.
