Mining ZimbabweLatest Mining News, Policy and Industry Updates

A mining firm based in Hwange has become the latest to be hit by the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic after 25 employees tested positive, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said on Saturday.

The cases, accounted for the 46 new cases that Zimbabwe recorded in the past two days, to take the country’s overall tally of confirmed infection cases to 38 064.

“The 18 cases from Matabeleland North are all from a mining company in Hwange and the outbreak is localised,” the health ministry said, without identifying the firm.

Amid fears of a potential third wave, the country has in the past two weeks seen a trend of institutions, especially schools recording high cases of infections.

Most of the cases have however been mild and were immediately contained.

The new cases come as President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appealed to schools and businesses to continue following laid down Covid-19 protocols to avoid the spread of the virus.

Government last month re-opened the economy after a hard lockdown that was aimed at containing the spread of the killer respiratory disease, which has since last March claimed 1 556 lives.

Mining companies were however not affected by the lockdown as they were designated essential services and were allowed to continue operating.

Zimbabwe is already undertaking a Covid-19 vaccination programme since mid-February and slightly over 300 000 have so far been inoculated.

New Ziana

LAST month, the government signed the Petroleum Exploration Development and Production Agreement (PEDPA) with Invictus Energy, which has been exploring for oil and gas reserves in Muzarabani, Mashonaland Central province.

The agreement marked an important step towards the sinking of the first test wells to see what exactly lies underground.

But something was amiss.

Both parties surely know the right thing to do, and if they forgot that resource exploitation issues require high levels of transparency, we take this opportunity to remind them. Invictus, the Australian miners, who are undertaking the exploration, are bound by transparency regulations as demanded by the Australian Stock Exchange where it is listed, while the Zimbabwean government knows that it must take everyone on board to avoid lack of stakeholder buy-in as this important deal progresses.

But none of the parties took the important step of disclosing exactly what they agreed on and what’s in it for the people of Zimbabwe, especially villagers in Muzarabani.

This is potentially a spot of potential conflict between government and the community, and the community and Invictus if the agreement is not made public.

Invictus has already indicated that the claims that oil or gas, to the extent never seen on the continent before, could be lying untapped underneath the earth’s crust and the people are waiting with bated breath.

That is why it is important for this agreement to be publicised and even provided to people in Muzarabani in print to apprise villagers on what government is planning about the resource, and how they stand to benefit.

Anything short of this would not be good enough.

It will be another way of government telling Zimbabweans that what lies underneath the earth’s crust is not theirs, but a preserve of the elite.

Zimbabweans need no reminding about what happens when people are excluded from participating in the exploitation of natural resources found in their localities.

The bloodshed that took place at Marange diamond fields is one such example, and the ongoing tug-of-war between police and gold panners is yet another.

The last thing Zimbabweans expect is to wake up one morning to witness oil oozing out and be told that it has already been mortgaged. We urge government to do the right thing, which is exercising transparency. Even if it is not found, the people must be fully informed to understand that there is nothing to expect from Muzarabani.

A NYANGA man reportedly assaulted his brother to death over 0.02 grammes of gold which the siblings had panned in neighbouring Mozambique.

Police have confirmed the incident.

Manicaland provincial deputy police spokesperson Inspector Luxson Chananda said last week, Samuel Sokiri (27), Simudzai Sokiri (31), Freddy Mukonowamwere and Alois Nyamatanga were drinking opaque beer at Chimusasa Business Centre.

They later decided to go home and retire for the night.

However, on their way home, the suspect, Samuel Sokiri had a dispute with his brother Simudzai over 0.02 grammes of gold they had panned in Nyamutombwe area, Mozambique.

The two exchanged harsh words over the issue until the argument degenerated into a fist fight.

Mukonowamwere tried to restrain them but failed.

“The suspect started assaulting Simudzai with fists and he fell on the ground and became unconscious,” said Chananda.

Samuel then left the scene together with Mukonowamwere and Nyamatanga leaving the now deceased lying on the ground unconscious and proceeded home.

“The deceased was spotted by Chimusasa Kembo (67) who was coming from Chimusasa Business Centre. The deceased had some head and face injuries,” Chananda added.

Kembo rushed to Samuel’s home and informed him Samuel and his wife that Simudzai was in great pain.

Samuel’s wife Nyarai Nyamuwe rushed home and managed to assist Simudzai to reach his home.

However, Simudzai succumbed to the injuries the following day and Kembo reported the matter at Ruwangwe Police station who attended the scene leading to the arrest of Samuel.

Chananda urged members of the public to seek counselling whenever they found themselves in disputes with other parties.

“People should solve their problems amicably rather than taking law into their own hands,” he said.

NewZimbabwe

THE public spat between government and villagers in the Dinde area of Hwange over the disputed coal-mining project run by Chinese miners makes sad reading and once again shows ZANU PF’s tendency to ride roughshod over the rights of citizens it purports to safeguard.

The project, run by Chinese firm Beifa Investments (Pvt) Ltd, has been failing to take off the ground since 2019 owing to resistance from villagers who fear the coal-mining venture would eventually displace them from their ancestral land.

But Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs minister Richard Moyo had the guts to tell the jittery villagers that the project would go ahead with or without their consent, saying those who dare resist would face the full wrath of the law. His argument was that the project is of national importance as it seeks to generate employment as well as electricity for the country.

The Zanu PF honcho added that government would not hesitate to deploy armed police to “protect” the investor.  But the question is: if the villagers don’t see value in the project why should government bureaucrats foist it down their throats?

The development comes shortly after attempts by government to evict more than 12 000 families from Chilonga area in  Chiredzi  to make way  for a lucerne farming project run by a private dairy company faced similar resistance.  Even though the villagers have resisted the move, it appears  the second republic is determined to forge ahead with the project as it seemingly respects capital more than citizens’ rights.

While we have no problem with investment coming into the country especially at a time when the country is facing an economic crisis characterised by skyrocketing cost of living, three digit inflation, massive retrenchments and industrial capacity utilisation of less than 50%. However, investments must not come at the expense of the livelihoods of the same communities they are supposed to serve.

The crass and heartless treatment of the villagers  by government when investors move into an area is self-defeating as the very people who are supposed to be the major beneficiaries of the investment end up being the major victims of the same.

Reports of  graves being desecrated in the name of investment as well as attempts to  have investors carry out mining activities in wildlife conservancies smacks of desperation by a cash-strapped regime.

As the Centre for Natural Resources Governance director Farai Maguwu observed: “Not a single community affected by mining is smiling in Zimbabwe, but the rich and powerful are ready even to spill blood to impose organised criminal gangs on communities. Any project or investor that is imposed on a community will not benefit that community. It is organised crime and will benefit criminal networks. Dinde is a replay of Marange (diamond fields).”

NewsDay

THE Zimbabwe Diamond Allied and Minerals Workers Union (ZDAMWU) has demanded wage reviews between US$400 and US$600 for mine workers and expressed concern over the delay by employers to pay salary arrears at a time when second quarter wage negotiations should have been concluded.

ZDAMWU secretary-general Justice Chinhema said the second-quarter wage negotiations were underway at a time when most mines had failed to pay first-quarter salary arrears.

“The reason for this travesty of justice on mine workers is because the first negotiations were concluded late in March when the payroll had already been processed. It is disturbing to note that some mines are already applying for exemptions not to backdate the salaries,” Chinhema said.

He said some mine workers’ unions were also shortchanging the workers in their negotiations on wage increases at the National Employment Council.

“It is a known fact that workers are expecting a second-quarter increase effective on April 1, but hope is fast fading for mine workers, considering that April is coming to an end and there has been no sitting. Chances of workers receiving their back pays are fast fading.

“Our resolution as ZDAMWU is that as long as the mining sector is still paying these slave wages, workers will not rest. As mine worker representatives we are not going to tire in pushing for a living wage in the range of US$400 to US$600.

“In addition, mine workers are also so disappointed by the failure to consider the COVID-19 allowances where the sector was the only industry that remained on the ground and sustained other sectors during the lockdowns,” he said. Chinhema said his union was encouraging workers’ committees to bargain at works council level as waiting for the NEC was not helping.

NewsDay