Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) President Ms. Henrietta Rushwaya has urged the government and small-scale and artisanal miners to incorporate war vets into the mining sector.
Rudairo Mapuranga
Speaking at an event in Insiza North where she donated mining equipment to women in the province, the ZMF boss said her organization was engaging miners so that they include women and war veterans when setting up syndicates to ensure all the people benefit from the country’s resources.
Rushwaya said that war vets can be instrumental in pushing for the President’s Vision for the country attaining an upper-middle-income economy by 2030 as well as the mining sector achieving US$12 BILLION annual income earning by 2023.
“The end game for this is we want you to boost production in line with what President Mnangagwa is saying under the 2023 mining sector target and expedite the attainment of an upper-middle-income economy even before 2030.
“As a Federation, we are engaging our male folk imploring them to include women in their syndicates and war veterans so that everybody can benefit from our natural endorsement.
“For war veterans, it’s even compelling because these are our liberators who sacrificed so that we enjoy the benefits of mining and they have to benefit by being incorporated into the mainstream economy,” Rushwaya said.
The ZMF boss also noted that there are mining assets that are being repossessed by the government under the “Use it or lose it” principle and said the miners’ body will soon make recommendations to the government to have women and war veterans prioritised in their redistribution.
She also said the Federation hoped that the government will continue prioritising locals in small-scale mining, which requires less capital injection most of which can be mobilised by locals as opposed to conglomerate mining that needs a huge capital injection.
The government on its part has already taken the lead in so far as the empowerment of women and war veterans as far as the mining sector is concerned.
War veterans are part of interest groups expected to benefit from proceeds of the newly formed mining giant Kuvimba Mining House, which is a joint venture between the government and a consortium of investors.
The ZMF President also urged the government to prioritize small-scale and artisanal mining that it be reserved for local miners to allow growth and empowerment of local people.
“Foreigners should not be allowed into small scale mining, the law should spell that 50 hectares and below of mining land should be reserved for locals. Foreign investors should be willing to invest more money than locals” Rushwaya concluded.
