The Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation (ZMF) has called for the Government’s renewed focus on small-scale mining to be translated into accessible finance, modern equipment and practical formalisation measures capable of increasing production across the sector, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The call follows President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s reaffirmation in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) that the formalisation, financing and equipping of small-scale gold mining and other mineral operations will remain a Government priority.
ZMF President Henrietta Rushwaya welcomed the commitment, saying small-scale miners should be treated as an integral part of Zimbabwe’s mining economy and supported to operate as sustainable businesses.
“When the President affirmed in his SONA that the formalisation, financing and equipping of small-scale gold mining and other mineral operations will remain a priority for Government, he reinforced an important principle: small-scale miners are not peripheral participants in Zimbabwe’s mining economy, but genuine partners in the country’s economic development,” Rushwaya said.
She said formalisation should provide miners with legal recognition and secure mining rights while remaining accessible and affordable enough to encourage more operators to enter the formal economy.
According to Rushwaya, improved access to finance will also be critical if small-scale miners are to move beyond subsistence operations and invest in production, equipment, safety and processing capacity.
“Gold-backed lending, revolving funds, equipment finance and fair off-take arrangements can provide the productive capital required to move miners from subsistence operations towards sustainable and commercially viable enterprises,” she said.
Rushwaya called for continued funding of the Gold Development Initiative Fund, administered through Fidelity Gold Refineries, arguing that it remains an important mechanism for supporting productive activity in the gold-mining sector.
She also called for the resuscitation of the Mining Industry Loan Fund, which historically provided financing support to small-scale miners.
“The objective should be to create financing instruments that are accessible, affordable, sustainable and aligned with the production realities of small-scale mining,” she said.
Beyond finance, Rushwaya said access to appropriate mining and processing technology would be essential to improving mineral recovery and production efficiency.
She said equipment capable of improving recovery while reducing environmental and safety risks, including mercury-free processing technologies, should form part of Government’s support for the sector.
ZMF is also proposing a collaborative framework bringing together Government, small-scale miners, financiers and equipment providers to coordinate formalisation, financing, equipment leasing and technical support.
Rushwaya said such an approach would ensure that Government interventions are informed by the practical challenges faced by miners operating across the country.
“If we build that framework together, the President’s commitment, reaffirmed in the SONA, can quickly translate into tangible outcomes on the ground: increased mineral production, more jobs, safer mining operations, stronger rural economies and greater value accruing to the national economy,” she said.
Rushwaya also welcomed expansion within Zimbabwe’s gold sector, saying the growth of larger mining operations should create opportunities for small-scale miners and mining businesses through contract mining, equipment supply, services and local beneficiation.
“Growth in Zimbabwe’s mining sector must therefore create meaningful linkages across the mining value chain, ensuring that expanding production creates opportunities for the wider mining ecosystem and the communities that sustain the sector,” she said.
She said ZMF was ready to work with Government, financiers, equipment manufacturers and other stakeholders to turn the policy commitment into increased production and investment at mining sites.
“Our members are not spectators in Zimbabwe’s mining story. We are producers, entrepreneurs and employers, and we are ready to play our part in transforming the country’s mineral wealth into broad-based national prosperity,” Rushwaya said.
“The President has reaffirmed the priority in his SONA. Our collective responsibility now is to turn that commitment into implementation, production and lasting economic opportunity.”
