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2 injured, 22 arrested at a demo against mining company

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2 injured, 22 arrested at a demo against mining company

Penhalonga community mobilised against a mining company, Prime Royal Africa (PRA) on the accusation that the company is linked to associations with machete gangs.

Shantel Chisango

On Friday last week, the community rallied up against PRA demanding the latter leaves the community with immediate effect.

During the demonstration, two people were injured.  The police had to fire shots to disperse the angry crowds.

Twenty-Two (22) locals were arrested, and 15 were released without charge, while 7 were taken to Mutare Magistrate’s court and later released but will be back at court on the 19th of October facing charges of inciting and committing public violence.

Commenting on the demonstrations at Penhalonhga, Farai Maguwu Director at Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) said that unless the mining sector is depoliticised there will be disputes throughout the country.

“These conflicts will escalate countrywide leading to the breakdown of law and order unless the government depoliticises mining, enforces regulations, ensures locals’ interests are considered and improves the entire economy as opposed to the current focus on mining only,” commented Maguwu.

Besides being linked to machete gangs, the PRA is allegedly accused of causing environmental armageddon, moral decadence and crimes in the community.

Maguwu stated that PRA is a shadowy company with no prior experience in mining but muscled its way into Redwing in 2018 through its political connections and that the ecological disaster unfolding in Penhalonga is heartbreaking.

He went on to mention that the company brought several hundred machete gangs into Penhalonga. Predictably conflict was inevitable.

ZMF MashWest in formalization, standardisation to maximize production

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ZMF MashWest in formalization, standardisation to maximize production
The Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Mashonaland West Province has continued to seek initiative for the development and growth of the small scale and artisanal mining sector through formalization and standardisation in order to maximize production.
Rudairo Mapuranga
According to ZMF MashWest Chairperson Mr Timothy Chizuzu, standardisation of Small-scale mining through advancing to professional mining is of great significance for small scale Miners to achieve ZMF’s target to contribute US$4 billion in revenue by 2023.
Chizuzu said institutions like the school of mines should work in reciprocal with small scale Miners to achieve world-class and advanced small scale mines that have the ability to mine low grades and very deep.
“Small Scale Miners should be assisted in terms of skills development. We have discovered that the office of mining engineers, geologists and metallurgists are of utmost importance in the maximization of production to reach the US$12 billion mining industry.  We recommend that institutions like the school of mines should bring their students to Miners to assist in the standardisation process, we need them, they need us” Chizuzu said.
He said his executive was working towards educating Miners to take exploration very serious through their mining journey.
He said exploration and standardisation of small scale mining are significant if the government is to achieve President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s vision for the country to become an upper-middle-income economy by 2030 and the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development’s vision for the industry to contribute US$12 billion annual revenue can also be achieved.

600 gold claims forfeited

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600 gold claims forfeited

About 600 gold claims owned by small-scale miners in Matabeleland South province have been forfeited to the Mines ministry after the owners failed to pay inspection fees.

Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) general council secretary Philemon Mokuele, who is based in Gwanda, yesterday told Southern Eye that the claims were forfeited recently following an inquiry on the mining activities in the province.

“Recently, small-scale miners forfeited close to 600 claims to the Mines ministry because they had failed to pay inspection fees. Most small-scale miners are still waiting for assistance from the government. They don’t have enough equipment, which automatically means expecting donations or development from them will be very unfair,” Mokuele said.

“The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) regularly visits their sites for inspection and if they don’t follow the law, they are given tickets to pay a fine, or their operations are stopped,” Mokuele said.

He said commercial mines contributed towards community share ownership trusts (CSOTs) which resulted in a lot of development in Gwanda.

“We saw clinics being built, drilling of boreholes. Laboratories were constructed, although one company didn’t comply,” he said.

Matabeleland South acting provincial mining director Khumbulani Mlangeni said: “Forfeiture is a legal requirement for the Ministry of Mines once your claim is overdue in terms of payment, and in terms of the Mines Act.

“The office posted 184 mining titles or blocks of claims (approximately 1 500 hectares on August 4, 2021, for forfeiture on the notice board as per sections 260 and 271 of the Mines and Minerals Act, of  which 80 titles were revoked after holders paid revocation fees within the 21-day window (section 272), thus 104 mining titles were forfeited.”

Mlangeni said after the expiry of 35 days from the day of posting of forfeiture notice, any Zimbabwean aged 18 years or above may apply for, and peg a mining title over the forfeited ground provided it is open for pegging and prospecting.

“Some big mines complied with the previous Indigenisation Act and are part of Gwanda Community Share Ownership Trust and work with the rural district council on infrastructure development and other projects within the community,” he said.

“Some mines may through CSOT assist communities where the need arises, for example, Blanket Mine has capacitated Gwakwe community with a horticulture project at Sigodo business centre.”

Mlangeni added that issues to do with illegal mining and violent conflicts were referred to the police.

Newsday

RioZim in US$1,5bn loss

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RioZim in US$1,5bn loss

POST-TAX losses at RioZim Limited widened to $1,5 billion during the half year ended June 30, 2021, after heavy rains triggered flash floods and crippled operations at the firm’s flagship Cam & Motor Mine.

RioZim posted a $77,4 million loss during the same period last year.

The ZSE-listed mining giant said it was running into headwinds stemming from rolling blackouts of up to eight hours a day, which held back production across Zimbabwe’s industries.

However, the volatile currency, which has this year suffered its worst drabbing against the United States dollar, lifted revenues to $2,6 billion during the period from $616,4 million previously, according to RioZim chairperson Saleem Beebeejaun.

“The marked increase in revenue was a direct result of the depreciation of the local currency against the United States dollar,” Beebeejaun said in a commentary to the financial statements.

“Resultantly, the low production achieved led to a loss of $1,5 billion compared to the same period prior year’s loss of $77,4 million.

“Cam & Motor Mine suffered from incessant rains during the first quarter, which made some of the areas in the mine’s open pits inaccessible resulting in the mine obtaining lower grade ore than planned.

“Cam also experienced persistent rain-induced breakdowns on the plant which also negatively affected plant throughput.

“Consequently, gold production for the period fell by 9% to 181kg compared to the prior period’s 199kg,” noted Beebeejaun.

Zimbabwe experienced one of its best rainfalls during the 2020/21 agricultural season.

But this became the biggest threat to mining companies.

Overall gold production at RioZim, which controls Dalny and Renco mines, retreated by 4% to 564kg during the review period, compared to 586kg previously.

RioZim said its biological oxidation (Biox) plant at Cam & Motor Mine would be brought online before the end of this year.

The plant will see the mining group process precious minerals.

“The company is focused on the completion of and commissioning of its Biox plant project before the close of the financial year as this project remains a key priority for the group.

“All outstanding equipment deliveries were fast-tracked subsequent to period end after payments of the final instalments are continuing in earnest,” Beebeejaun.

Newsday

Missing gold ore, 16 year old shot dead

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Missing gold ore, 16 year old shot dead

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) in Chikuti have arrested Doesmore Charumari (49) in connection with a murder case that occurred at the Afro-Asia Gold mine on 02/10/21 at about 0800 hrs.

The suspect fired one shot into the crowd with a revolver, during a scuffle over alleged stolen gold ore, and shot the victim, Asana Mandara (16) on the forehead.

Violence and murder are prevalent in the mining sector. Recently a video of eight men being brutally beaten lying face down in the dirt went viral on social media. The beating was being administered because of stolen gold ore. The perpetrator was demanding to know where the ore is and promised not to stop till it was found.

Firebrand Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa on Twitter pointed out that the shameful act happened at G’n’P mine.

“This is from G’n’P Mine run by Mudha using his nephew Energy Dha Ncube. Such callous things happening & when sanctions are put people complain. They are addicted to gold. I challenge the ZRP to investigate& arrest these people. We must be able to protect the innocent,” Mliswa said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, Police arrested 97 people throughout the country for engaging in illegal mining activities, while two people were arrested for carrying dangerous weapons.

Through its Twitter handle, the Police said it nearly 50 thousand people have been arrested since the inception of operation Chikorokoza Ngachipere (illegal mining must stop).

“Cumulative arrests since the commencement of the operation targeting illegal miners and people carrying dangerous weapons stand at 49 906. “ the police said.

 

BREAKING: Facebook, Whatsapp, instagram backonline

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BREAKING: Facebook, Whatsapp, instagram backonline

World’s biggest social media platforms Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram are now back online after more than five hours in hibernation.

It is not clear what caused the social networks blackout with reports suggesting remote access was cut off meaning technicians have to physically travel to the servers to rectify the problems.

Mining Zimbabwe has a Facebook page and eleven WhatsApp groups that were also part of the outage.

 

 

 

Retraction: Prospect Resources low on cash to fund operations

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Retraction: Prospect Resources low on cash to fund operations

Earlier today we published an article “Prospect Resources low on cash to fund operations”. The article was extracted from a press release from the Prospect Resources website. Unfortunately, we misinterpreted the release leading to an inaccurate article. We would like to advise all who came across the article to disregard the article in its entirety.

We would like to unreservedly apologise to the Prospect Resources management, shareholders and everyone concerned. We are in touch with the Prospect directors and we will constantly be in communication with them as key players in the achievement of the 12 billion Industry.

ZMF CEO to Speak at Uganda’s (UCMP) annual conference

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ZMF CEO to Speak at Uganda’s (UCMP) annual conference

Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Chief Executive Officer Mr Wellington Takavarasha is set to speak at the Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum (UCMP) 10th annual mineral conference.

Rudairo Mapuranga

The event will be held under the theme, leveraging public and private sector efforts to develop Uganda’s mineral sector. The event will see the ZMF CEO in skills exchange between the two mining bodies over the growth and development of the mining sector in Africa.

The event will be held online on Tuesday and Wednesday will see Takavarasha representing Zimbabwe’s small scale and artisanal mining at an international stage.

The Uganda Chamber of Mines and Petroleum (UCMP) is a not-for-profit, Member-based voluntary organization that represents the interests of private players in the mining and petroleum sectors in Uganda by collaborating with the state to develop the country’s extractive sector.

Launched in 2010, UCMP coordinates and facilitates information sharing, advisory and administrative support to prospective and current investors in the mining and petroleum sectors in Uganda. It also promotes, encourages, protects and fosters responsible mining, beneficiation and service delivery in these sectors.

Takavarasha is a highly experienced miner who has addressed many local and international audiences. Zimbabwe is highly recognised worldwide as an experienced player in Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) with an estimated 1,5million people plying the trade.

ZMF is Zimbabwe’s biggest miners body by far with millions of members.

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ICMM CEO ROHITESH DHAWAN TO ADDRESS ESG-FOCUSED AFRICA MINING FORUM IN NOVEMBER

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ICMM CEO ROHITESH DHAWAN TO ADDRESS ESG-FOCUSED AFRICA MINING FORUM IN NOVEMBER

“How good governance translates into better lives for people”

“What we have known for a long time is that countries and jurisdictions that are better governed, tend to generate better outcomes for their people, especially when it comes to the mining sector.” This is according Rohitesh Dhawan, CEO of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) and keynote speaker at the upcoming Africa Mining Forum from 2–4 November 2021.

This tailored mining investment platform for junior miners, mid-cap companies and sustainable technology solutions providers, returns with a uniquely themed concept, with each of the ESG principles, Environment, Social and Governance, providing the inspiration for separately focused, digital sessions and activities during three days.

Our objective
Africa Mining Forum hosts executives and decision-makers to engage directly with key stakeholders, investors, and asset managers through the unique networking channels to identify promising projects and deploy capital in Africa’s mining. The event also provides extensive opportunities to industry technology and service providers to showcase and demonstrate their practical solutions.

The live, digital programme will include a daily commodities outlook, three exclusive keynote sessions, strategic spotlights, technology roundtables and A-Z investment guides for burgeoning mining countries on the continent.

Awards Ceremony

Earlier this year, two of the African mining industry’s most innovative brands joined forces, when Africa Mining Forum merged with Mining Review Africa’s Mining Elites in Africa publication with a Digital Awards Ceremony during which the 2022 edition winners of Mining Elites in Africa will be announced.

Getting governance right

The ICMM recently upped the ESG ante by publishing a series of enhanced Mining Principles which define good practice requirements for the mining and metals industry, aligned with its objective of the responsible sourcing and production of metals and minerals.

In an interview with Mining Review Africa, premium media partner for Africa Mining Forum, the ICMM CEO said: “Ultimately, governance is just a fancy word for management. When we look at the question of governance of natural resources and countries, we can ask, do countries have the right laws in place? And if they do, do they implement them consistently and effectively over time? We found from the research that the countries that have made the most progress over the last 25 years (this research looked 25 years back up until 2018), the countries that made the most progress have been the likes of Indonesia, Bolivia, Peru and Botswana.”

According to Dhawan, the common theme amongst all of these countries was developing the right policies and then executing them consistently and effectively over time. “If one of those two is not right, typically, you don’t see the progress on social indicators, because what is what we were looking for, how good governance translates into better lives for people.”

Focus on Africa

According to Rohitesh Dhawan, the ICMM’s research had a special focus on Africa because they observed that since 1995, the number of countries that are resource-dependent, has increased by 60%. “When we look at the 88 countries that are resource-dependent today, they account for 30% of the world’s population. So, a very large part of the world lives in countries that are resource-dependent. And amongst those people, we have 450 million people that are living in poverty. So getting this right really matters. And getting this right really matters in an African context.”

More headline speakers will be joining Rohitesh Dhawan at Africa Mining Forum in November, including:
–  Jayne Mammatt, Partner and ESG Lead for Africa, PwC, South Africa
–  Harry Fisher, Senior Analyst l Battery Metals, CRU Group, Australia
–  Marta Dec, Senior Analyst l Base Metals, CRU Group, UK
–  Terence Lyons, CEO, TSC, Singapore
–  Gerard Reid, CEO, Alexa Capital, UK
–  Kwasi Ampofo, Head of Metals and Mining, BloombergNEF, UK
–  David Bleiker, Vice President Mining Environment & Infrastructure Solutions, Wood, Canada

Unique platform

Africa Mining Forum is hosted on the Mine.it Africa – Connect platform, a unique, all-in-one, interactive digital mining platform providing in one place, African mining news and opportunities, live, interactive events and engagement.

Over 3300 mining professionals from 78 countries are already using the platform and attending the digital events and webinars. It is also an ongoing source of industry news, print and video content, interviews and podcasts as well as live webinars and conferences.

Mining Review Africa is the leading monthly magazine and digital platform in the African mining industry. Every month, MRA reaches an audience of over 50 000 influential mining authorities and key decision makers through a variety of channels, including an interactive website, videos and print distribution at all major mining conferences in Africa and across the globe.

Register here for access to Mine. It Africa – Connect.

Event organiser, Clarion Events Africa is a leading Cape Town-based and multi-award-winning organiser of exhibitions, conferences and digital events across the continent in the infrastructure, energy and mining sectors. Other well-known events by Clarion Events Africa include Enlit Africa, DRC Mining Week and Nigeria Mining Week.

Website: https://www.africaminingforum.com/

Africa Mining Forum event dates and location:
Dates: 2–4 November 2021
Location: Online

Media contact:
Annemarie Roodbol
Email: [email protected]

24.5% wage hike insult to miners – ZDAMWU

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24.5% wage hike insult to miners – ZDAMWU

Zimbabwe Diamond Allied and Minerals Workers Association (ZDAMWU) has described the recent 24.5% wage hike to miners as an insult.

Shantel Chisango
Zdamwu’s argument is that the Chamber of Mines reported profits in all sub-sectors in minerals being exported, hence concluding that the ZWL$6 000 wage increase is not really much of a help.
The General Secretary, Justice Chinhema points out that the 24.5% hike would have been helpful if it was paid on due time which was July, but now that inflation has risen to its peak, the wage are now not sufficient.
“The ZWL$6 000 increase effective July would have made  sense if it was agreed before July and paid in July, August and by now the 4th quarter is coming as is what’s happening with inflation,”
Chinhema said the National Employment Council (NEC) made the increase without any thought for the situation on the ground.
“We believe they have lost touch with reality on the ground, to the extent that they don’t even know that most mines are able to pay and are already paying above those peanuts,” he said.
He expressed his concerns saying the food basket is now said to be within the range of ZW$45 000. This is just food and it means people no longer send their children to school, they no longer buy clothes, they don’t have extended families, they don’t fall sick, what it means is all the workers’ efforts to work during the covid-19 pandemic has not been appreciated.
However, despite the disappointment, the union deemed the move as a victory saying it would have been impossible for NEC to take any steps forward.
“However, as ZDAMWU we take the increase as a victory for us as a union. We have been pushing these guys and without pressure from ZDAMWU nothing was going to come out,” said Chinhema.
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