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Norton Miners send a message to ED

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Norton Miners send a message to ED

On Friday Norton Miners Association chairperson Privilege Moyo and women’s affairs executive, Pamela Muringai handed a gift of a stone sculpture to the president of Zimbabwe Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa to appreciate the support he gives to the mining sector and his faith that the economy resuscitation is through the Mining industry.

Rudairo Dickson Mapuranga

According to the Norton Miners chairperson, it is a symbol of all small scale and artisanal miners in Zimbabwe. Its aim is to remind the President of the challenges faced in the small scale and artisanal mining sector.

Moyo also said that its an image of the success story of the small scale sector, as the sector, has contributed significantly to the nation fiscus.

“Wherever the president will place that stone gift he will always see an image of all artisanal and small scale miners across the country, the challenges they face every day, in remembrance of various comrades in mining who died due, machetes gangs, mine accidents and sickness related to mining.”

“The final is the success and contributions made by ASM to our country.” Said Privilege Moyo.

The Norton Miners according to Moyo also gave the stone sculpture gift as a sign to assure the president that miners in Norton are geared to support the president’s vision of turning Zimbabwe into a mid-income earner by 2030.

“Also to show that the miners are geared up for the countries vision 2030 to make mining contribute towards middle-class economy,” said the Norton Miners chairperson.

Top nine gold rich African countries

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Top nine gold rich African countries

These are the top nine gold-rich African countries.

1. Ghana

This country is now known as Africa’s top producer of gold. It equally has a number of mines located in different places which re-actively involved in gold mining. Let’s look at some of them below.

Taekwa Gold Mine

This is one of the largest gold mines in Africa. Its operations are run by Goldfields. The mine resource capacity of gold for the mine goes up to 15.3 million ounces. And in its reserves, the estimated amount of the resource is about 9.9 million ounces of gold.

Chirano Gold Mine

This mine is operated under open pit mining. It is located in the western part of the country, with an approximate distance of 25 miles to the south of the Bibiani gold mine. Operations of the mine began in the year 2005 by Red Back Mining, which later handed over to a subsidiary company known as Chirano Gold Mine Limited. The gold production of the mine stands at 3,800 kilograms per year.

Nzema Gold Mine

The mine’s location is in the southern region of Ghana on the Ashanti Gold Belt. The mine is under the management of Endeavor Mining Company, with its mineral resource standing at about 33.7 million tons of 1.3g/t grade.

Iduapriem Open Pit Mine

The mine is located about 15 miles south of the larger Tarkwa mines in the western part of Ghana. The mining activities are under the two major operations namely, the Teberebie and the Iduapriem operations, respectively.

Obuasi Underground Mine

The mine is found in the Obuasi within the region of Ashanti. It is also important to note that, this mine happens to be among the 10 largest gold mines in Africa. The mining activities date back to 1897, by AngloGold Ashanti. The mine is also regarded as the oldest there is in Ghana, where it concerns gold mining.

The Wassa Open Pit Gold Mine

The mine is run under open pit mining. It is located about 45 miles northeast of Tarkwa, with an estimated distance of about 120 miles from Accra in the Birimian Province. The mine is believed to host about 20 million troy ounces of gold reserves, and has been operational since the early 1990s.

Apart from the mines stated to be active in Ghana, there are several others which are under construction in order to maximise the production of gold in the country. Additionally, small-scale artisanal miners prospect for small amounts of gold all throughout the country. The mineral resources in this country are not just exceptionally rich, but also very vast and cover a large area.

2. South Africa

Recently toppled by Ghana our Southern Neighbor is long been known to be the largest producer of gold in Africa. Its operations in gold mining begun in the 1880s when gold was first discovered in Witwatersrand area in the Gauteng Province. This discovery led to a gold rush in the area; as a result many more places were discovered for gold mining. Such mines that followed after include the following.

The East Rand Mine

The gold mine is found in Boksburg, a city located in the eastern part of Johannesburg. It is one of the deepest gold mines in Africa, about 11,700 feet deep. This mine has been operational since 1893 with very high production of gold of about 80,000 ounces per year. But it has experienced some reduction in gold production over the years.

The Tau Tola Mine

The mine is found in Carletonville, yet another high-quality gold producing mine. However, the mine is shallower than the East Rand Mine. It is located in the vicinity of Johannesburg just like the East Rand Mine. It has been conducting mining activities since 1962, producing about 190,000 ounces of gold each year.

The Kloof Mine

The mine is in Westonaria, yet another famous place known for gold mining. But its operations are anticipated to cease by the year 2033 due to some challenges faced with mining in the region. But before that time can come, the mine has a huge potential to continue being among the top gold producing mines.

3. Tanzania

Amazingly, this country also hosts a number of gold mines worth taking note, as it stands a huge potential to continue being among Africa’s leading gold producers.

Buzwagi Gold Mine

This gold mine has been the second-largest open-pit gold mine in the country. It is located in the Shinyanga region on the southeast part of Kahama. Its operations are run by Acacia Mining when it was commissioned in 2009. And five years later, the mine was able to produce about 719,000 ounces of gold.

Bulyanhulu Gold Mine

The mine runs operations through underground mining. Its location is about 40 miles south of Lake Victoria in Shinyanga region. Likewise, the Acacia Mining Plc. also runs its operations. The mine is expected to remain operational up to 2016 due to its gold availability potential.

Geita Gold Mine

This is another famous gold open pit mine. It is located about 15 miles southeast of Lake Victoria in the District known as Geita. The operations of the mine are managed by the company, AngloGold Ashanti while producing reasonable amounts of gold annually.

Golden Prive Gold Mine

This is yet another open-pit mine, with its operations being undertaken by Resolute Mining Limited. It is found in the region of Tabora, within Nzanga District. Prospecting activities for the mine began as early as 1989, before the actual official commencement in the year 1999.

North Mara Gold Mine

The gold mining operations are done through open pit and underground mining. The mine is found in the northern part of Tanzania, in Tarime District of Mara region. Its operations were first initiated by Acacia Mining in 2002.

4. Mali

In this country, there are basically three major mines that must be known where it concerns gold mining.

Morila Gold Mine

This mine’s location is about 150 miles from Bamako in the south. There are two major operations undertaken in this mine, namely open pit and underground operations, which are managed by Randgold Resources.

The Sadiola Gold Mine

This is an open-pit mine located in the region of Kayes. It is jointly managed by three entities namely, AngloGold Ashanti, LamGold and the government of Mali.

Yatela

This is another open-pit mine found in the region of Kayes. Its location is about 20 miles north of the Sadiola and its mining activities began in 2001. The mine is also jointly managed by LamGold, AngloGold Ashanti and the government of Mali, respectively.

Mali is definitely poised to grow substantially over the next decades. The mineral resources are vast and have been underexploited.

5. Burkina Faso

This country is also among the countries known to produce gold, in various locations. This is another country with vast gold-bearing areas that have not been exploited to any large degree as of yet. Below are some of the major mines that account for most of the current gold production.

Kalsaka Gold Mine Project

The mine is located in the capital city of the country, about 40 miles northwest of Ouagadougou. The mine is believed to have about 6.5 million metric tons of gold, of which the grade is anticipated to be 1.6g/t grams per ton gold, as well as 2.7 metric tons of 1.2g/t gold grade. The mining operations are conducted by Banlaw Africa Limited.

Youga Gold Mine

It is located about 140 miles to the southeast of Ouagadougou, the capital city. The operations of the mine are jointly managed by the government of Burkina Faso with the shareholding of 10% and the Etruscan Resource, holding the rest of the shares.

Taparko-Boroum Open Pit Gold Mine

Its location is approximately 150 miles northwest of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital. The mine began its operations in 2007 with a production capacity of about 4,400 kilograms of gold per year.

Essakane Gold Mine

The mine is located along the boundary of Sano and Oudalan provinces, which are about 250 miles northeast of the capital city. Its operations commenced in 2010 with a number of expansion projects finishing in 2013.

Inata Gold Mine

This is yet another gold mine operated under a joint venture between the government and Avocet. The mine began its operations in 2009, and its estimated mineral potential can take it up to 2027. The mineral resource for the mine is approximately 4.2 million ounces of gold with an average grade of 1.2 grams per ton.

6. Zimbabwe

Our country has been known for gold mining since the 13th century when the local settlers could extract the mineral from hills within their catchment areas of the kingdom. The following are the some of the mines hosted by the country.

Freda Rebecca

Freda Rebecca is the largest gold producer in Zimbabwe. It’s located close to Bindura’s Trojan Nickel mine, 90km north of Harare.

Freda-Rebecca mines 3,000 tonnes of ore and removes 8,000 bank of overburden on an average every day. The mine poured its first gold in April 1988.

Sabi Gold Mine

The operation of the gold mine is known to have begun in the year 1890. The mine is located in Zvishavane district, Midlands Province in Zimbabwe. Its operations were first acquired by the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation in 1984 and later taken by its subsidiary, Kimberworth Investments. Underhand stopping method has been known to be the major way used to extract gold in this mine.

RioZim

Rio Zimbabwe, a diversified miner owns two gold mines which are Renco Mine and Cam and Motor Mine in Kadoma.

The Renco Mine is 100% owned by RioZim Limited. The mining rights are held through mining claims, a mining lease and a special grant covering a total area of 2 736 hectares. The mine is located in the South-East of Zimbabwe in Nyajena communal lands, approximately 75km southeast of Masvingo.

The Cam and Motor Gold Mine is the second project in Rio Gold’s operations. The mine is located in the Kadoma area of Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe covering an area totaling 1, 151 hectares.

Jena Gold Mine

The mine is located in Nkayi of Zimbabwe, a District in Matabeleland on the northern part of the country which is about 75 miles west of Kwekwe town. The mining operations for gold extraction include the shrink stopping method and the underhand benching long hole open stopping method. This mine is known to process about 450 tons of gold ore.

Blanket Gold Mine

This mine happens to be one of Zimbabwe’s biggest gold mines. Its location is about 10 miles southwest of the city known as Gwanda, the headquarters of Matabeleland the south Province located about 400 miles from Harare the capital of Zimbabwe. The mine is run by Caledonia PLC, and produces about 45,500 ounces of gold per annum. It is also anticipated that the production is likely to rise to 80,000 ounces by the year 2020, although that may be hindered by Electricity challenges the country is facing.

7. Guinea

This country also can’t be left out when one talks about gold mining in Africa. Although the country has few active mines, many others are still developing. Thousands of small-scale miners pan the rivers using primitive methods to recover fine gold. Below are some of the major mines in the country.

The Lero-Karta Gold Mine

The mine carries out its operations in the northern part of guinea. The major method used in the production of gold in this mine is called the heap leach process. The mine is said to produce about 13.7 metric tons of gold of 2.6g/t grade

The Kart Open Pit Mine

This mine is also located in the northern region of guinea, a short distance from the Lero Mine. It is estimated to contain about 185,000 tons of gold with 4.6g/t grade.

The Siguiri Gold Mine

The mine is located within the confinement of Siguiri District in the northeast part of Guinea, the District in which the mine is found, is right on the bank of Niger River, the mine produces an approximate amount of 250,000 ounces of gold per year.

The Kiniero Gold Mine

This mine is located in the central part of Guinea, which is about 350 miles towards the northwest of Conakry. The annual production for the mine stands at about 60,000 ounces of gold, with its resource about 5.07 tons at an average of 3.12g/t grade.

8. Ethiopia

In the country of Ethiopia, not much of gold is produced. However, it is among the top ranking countries striving to increase gold production. Civil unrest over the past decades has limited serious interest by large mining companies to operate within Ethiopia. This is starting to change though, and there is great potential for serious mining in this country in the coming years. Its major active mines include.

Lega Dembi Gold Mine

This mine is located in the southern part of the country in Sidamo Province. The production of gold for the mine stands at 5 tons, per annum. Its operations are managed as a joint venture between the government and Midroc Company.

Tulu Kapi Gold Project

This one is located in the western part of the country, toward the border with Sudan. The mine’s operations are undertaken by Nyota Minerals Limited, producing about 5 tons of gold annually.

The other potential sources of gold in Ethiopia include the Sakaro region and Greenstone belts located in the northern and western parts of the country.

9. Cote d’Ivoire

In this country, gold production is equally not as much, but it is ranked among the leading gold producing countries in Africa. It is said that there are several areas that have not been explored yet for gold mining in this particular country, yet has the potential to produce more gold. Its proximity to Ghana makes many believe that there are likely some large gold deposits that have yet to be found. Below are some active operations in Cote d’Ivoire.

The Tongon Gold Mine

It is located about 34 miles away from the border between Cote d’Ivoire and Mali. It is known as the largest gold mine in the country. It covers about one square mile, owned by Randgold Resources while carrying out operations through the subsidiary, the Societe Des Mines de Tongon. The mining operations are estimated to run up to 2021.

The Angovia Gold Mine

This mine is located about 25 miles from the city of Yamoussoukro. The mine is managed by the Cluff Gold which began its operations in 2009, leading to the production of about 20,000 ounces of gold per year.

The Bonikro Gold Mine

This is another gold producing mine, which is located nearly 150 miles northwest of Abidjan, the capital of Cote d’Ivoire. Newcrest are the owners of the mining operations, producing an average of 150,000 ounces of gold annually when it was established in 2008.

Top ten gold producers in the world

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Top ten gold producers in the world

These are the top gold producers in the world.

1. China

Mine production: 400 MT

Once again, China was the largest producer of gold in the world, mining 400 metric tons (MT) in 2018. The country has now held its top position for over a decade. China’s production dropped by 40 MT in 2018, and the decrease is thought to be the result of increased environmental regulations.

According to the World Gold Council, China was the main engine of growth in 2018, despite witnessing a slowdown in Q4 as the trade war with the US and slowing economic growth rate weighed on demand and gold jewelry buying slowed last year as demand decreased by 3 percent.

See also Top ten gold producers in Zimbabwe 2018

2. Australia

Mine production: 310 MT

Gold production in Australia had another high-performing year, reaching 310 MT in 2018, up from 300 MT in 2017.

Recent exploration activity in the Pilbara region of Western Australia has renewed interest and helped increase the country’s consistent gold output. While the Pilbara region is typically best known as one of the world’s largest producers of iron ore, the region is currently in the midst of increased gold exploration thanks to a major discovery in 2017 by Novo Resources and Artemis Resources.

3. Russia

Mine production: 295 MT

Russia was once again the third-largest producer of gold in 2018, with its output increasing from 255 MT in 2017 to 295 MT last year. Additionally, the country plans to increase output over the next decade or so.

In 2016, it was reported that Russia is planning to raise its annual gold production to 400 MT by 2030. According to the US Geological Survey, Russia’s gold reserves stand at 5,300 MT, just under South Africa at 6,000 MT and Australia at 9,800 MT.

4. United States

Mine production: 210 MT

US gold production dipped slightly in 2018, falling from 240 MT to 210 MT. Most gold in the country was produced at more than 40 lode mines, several large placer mines in Alaska and a number of smaller placer mines in the Western US. The top 26 operations in the country were responsible for 99 percent of American gold output.

An assessment of US gold resources revealed that there are approximately 33,000 MT of gold in identified and undiscovered resources. Additionally, close to one-quarter of the gold in undiscovered resources can be found in porphyry copper deposits.

5. Canada

Mine production: 185 MT

Gold production in Canada rose marginally in 2018, allowing the nation to maintain its status as the fifth largest producer of the yellow metal.

Last year, the country reported an output of 185 MT of gold compared to 180 MT in 2017.

6. Peru

Mine production: 145 MT

Peru saw a slight decrease in gold production last year, with output slipping from 151 MT in 2017 to 145 MT in 2018. The country saw its lowest level of production and exports in 2014 and has since made a slight recovery.

That said, illegal gold mining continues to be a struggle for the country and has been responsible for the devastation of land, including patches of the precious Amazon forest.

7. Ghana

Mine production: 130 MT

Ghana once again became a top 10 gold producing country when in 2018 it produced 130 MT of gold, up slightly from the output of 128 MT in 2017.

It is also worth noting that Ghana recently took the top spot as Africa’s largest gold producer. Moreover, the country hosts more estimated reserves than key gold-producing countries such as Peru.

8. Mexico

Mine production: 125 MT

Mexico is another gold producer that saw a production increase last year, knocking South Africa out of the 8th spot to claim it for itself.

While Mexico was plagued by underwhelming gold prices and maturing gold mines that caused production challenges in 2017, the country was able to increase its gold production from 110 MT to 125 MT in 2018. Today, gold and silver account for more than 50 percent of the country’s total metals output.

9. South Africa

Mine production: 120 MT

South Africa’s gold production decreased in 2018 compared with 2017, falling from 137 MT to 120 MT last year. The country’s gold output has fallen 85 percent since 1980, but it has been one of the world’s top gold producers for decades.

In recent years, South Africa has been hit with political strife, mostly due to conflicts between the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) and gold producers in the area. AMCU has held many protests and strikes at several gold and platinum mines within the last two years in the hopes of garnering more wages and stopping any merger between companies in which the union believed job loss would ensue.

Despite this, South Africa is currently estimated to have the world’s second-largest quantity of gold reserves at 6,000 MT.

10. Uzbekistan

Mine production: 105 MT

Uzbekistan comes in tenth on the list of the largest producers of gold. The country produced 105 MT of gold in 2018, up slightly from 100 MT in 2017. The country’s Muruntau gold mine is one of the largest open-pit mines in the world. Uzbekistan has been producing from old mines for quite some time and has not seen much exploration investment.

Source: Investing news

Ziyambi off-side on shoot to kill

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Ziyambi off-side on shoot to kill

Minister Ziyambi’s remarks have attracted criticism of the legal spectrum who said that the idea to give the police power to shoot might create another genocide like Gukurahundi.

In an audio-recorded interview with VOA, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi said that the government has instructed the police to shoot notorious machete gangs.

The Minister reiterated that the notorious machete wielding criminals have become a treat to public security as a result measures are being taken by his ministry and the Ministry of Homes Affairs to enable the police to shoot the gang when need be.

Minister Ziyambi has said that the gangs are a terrorist group that deserves to be killed without fear in the same way Osama Bin Laden was killed.

“Even in America terrorists are killed, machete criminals are terrorists, I talked to the Minister of Homes Affairs for the police to shoot them,” said Ziyambi.

Minister Ziyambi also said that the government of Zimbabwe is working towards denying bail to all machete wielding criminals because they would threaten their victims not report.

“The people called Mashurugwi will be arrested, we will deny them bail because they would threaten their victims after bail application,” he said.

Top ten deepest mines in the world

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Top ten deepest mines in the world

The list of the deepest mines in the world is dominated by South African gold mines with a whooping 6 mines on the list. Of the six South African mines top four are from the Southern neighbor.

If the list was to be of the top ten deepest operating mines then another South African mine South Deep mine with a depth of 2.99 km would also make that list.

See the list of the deepest mines in the world below:

RankName of mineDepthLocationPrimary resourceActive / closed
1Mponeng Gold Mine4.0 km South AfricaGoldActive
2TauTona Mine3.9 km South AfricaGoldActive
3Savuka Gold Mine3.7 km South AfricaGoldActive
4Driefontein, Gauteng3.4 km South AfricaGoldActive
5Empire Mine3.355 km United StatesGoldClosed 1956
6Kusasalethu mine3.28 km South AfricaGoldActive
7Kolar Gold Fields3.2 km IndiaGoldClosed 2001
8Laronde Mine3.2 km CanadaGold, copper, silver, zinc Active
9Moab Khotsong mine3.05 km South AfricaGoldActive
10Morro Velho3.0 km BrazilGoldActive

The Bagger 288 – the largest land vehicle

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The Bagger 288 – the largest land vehicle

Bagger 288 (Excavator 288), built by the German company Krupp for the energy and mining firm Rheinbraun, is a bucket-wheel excavator or mobile strip mining machine.

QUICK INFO

1. It can excavate 240,000 tons of coal DAILY
2. Is up to 220 m long
3. Is approximately 96 m high
4. Requires 16.56 megawatts electricity to operate
5. Travels 2 to 10 m per minute
6. Traveled 22km in 3 weeks

When its construction was completed in 1978, Bagger 288 superseded Big Muskie as the heaviest land vehicle in the world, at 13,500 tons. It took five years to design and manufacture, and five years to assemble with total cost reaching $100 million.  In 1995, it was itself superseded by the slightly heavier Bagger 293 (14,200 tons). NASA’s Crawler-Transporter still remains the largest self-powered land vehicle in the world, since bucket-wheel excavators are powered by an external power source, and the Overburden Conveyor Bridge F60s holds the title of the largest land vehicle of any type by physical dimensions.

The Bagger 288 was built for the job of removing overburden before coal mining at the Hambach strip mine in Germany. It can excavate 240,000 tons of coal or 23,240,000 cubic metres of overburden daily[3] – the equivalent of a football field dug to 30 m deep. The coal produced in one day fills 2400 coal wagons. The excavator is up to 220 m  long (slightly shorter than Baggers 287 and 293) and approximately 96 m high. The Bagger’s operation requires 16.56 megawatts of externally supplied electricity. It can travel 2 to 10 m per minute (0.1 to 0.6 km/h). The chassis of the main section is 46 m wide and sits on 3 rows of 4 caterpillar track assemblies, each 3.8 m wide. The large surface area of the tracks means the ground pressure of the Bagger 288 is very small (1.71 bar or 24.8 psi); this allows the excavator to travel over gravel, earth, and even grass without leaving a significant track. It has a minimum turning radius of approximately 100 meters and can climb a maximum gradient of 1:18 (5° incline).

The excavating head itself is 21.6 m in diameter and has 18 buckets each holding 6.6 cubic meters of overburden.

SEE THE BAGGER 288 in ACTION

By February 2001, the excavator had completely exposed the coal source at the Tagebau Hambach mine and was no longer needed there. In three weeks it made a 22-kilometer (14 mi) trip to the Tagebau Garzweiler, traveling across Autobahn 61, the river Erft, a railroad line, and several roads. The move cost nearly 15 million German marks and required a team of seventy workers. Rivers were crossed by placing large steel pipes for the water to flow through and providing a smooth surface over the pipes with rocks and gravel. Special grass was seeded to smooth its passage over valuable terrain. Moving Bagger 288 in one piece was more economical than disassembling the excavator and moving it piece by piece.

The Bagger 288 is one of a group of similar-sized and built vehicles, such as Bagger 281 (built-in 1958), Bagger 285 (1975), Bagger 287 (1976), Bagger 293 (1995), etc.

BelAZ 75710 – world’s largest, highest payload capacity dump truck

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BelAZ 75710 – world’s largest, highest payload capacity dump truck

BelAZ 75710 is the world’s world’s largest, highest payload capacity dump truck.

The 75710 can carry a 450-tonne (440-long-ton; 500-short-ton) load. With an empty weight of 450 tonnes (440 long tons; 500 short tons), it is much more heavily built than the previous model, which weighed 240 tonnes (240 long tons; 260 short tons) when empty. It is 20.6 m long, 8.16 m high, and 9.87 m wide. The bed is relatively shallow, limiting the volume of material that can be carried.

Instead of a single-engine, the Siemens MMT 500 drive system is powered by two MTU 65-litre 16-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines, each with 2,300 horsepower (1,700 kW). These are coupled to two AC alternators and four AC traction motors (two in each axle. Fuel consumption (according to company data) is 198 g/kWh (1.94 oz/MJ) per engine, with the option to run on only one if carrying less than capacity loads. The maximum speed is 64 km/h (40 mph), and economy maximum speed (when fully loaded and on a 10% gradient) is 40 km/h (25 mph).

 

TypeHaul truck
ManufacturerBelAZ
Production2013–present
AssemblyZhodzina, Belarus
Body and chassis
ClassUltra class
LayoutFront-engine, four-wheel drive
Powertrain
Engine2 × MTU DD16V4000 V16 diesel
TransmissionSiemens MMT500
PropulsionDiesel-Electric
Dimensions
Wheelbase8 m
Length20.6 m
Width9.87 m
Height8.26 m
Curb weight360 t

See video below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=638zMKTb4WI

AUDIO: Police to shoot to kill mashurugwi – Ziyambi

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AUDIO: Police to shoot to kill mashurugwi – Ziyambi

Minister of Justice Legal Parliamentary Affairs Hon Ziyambi Ziyambi has warned that anyone who attacks and or kills using machetes will be arrested, denied bail and if reported dangerous will be shot by Police as the country will not tolerate terrorists.

Listen to the AUDIO interview by VOA (shona language used)

Is the violent use of Machetes now part of our lives – Mliswa

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Is the violent use of Machetes now part of our lives – Mliswa

Fire-brand Norton member of Parliament Temba Mliswa has accused the government of not taking action against the continued violent use of machetes in the country.

Mliswa lamented that little has been done by the government to curtail the increasing problem and has blasted law enforcement agents for being part of the problem.

The Member of Parliament continued on saying that “I have pushed this agenda in the National Assembly and have spoken about the introduction of Statutory Instrument being put in place to ban their use and introduce stringent measures against those arrested’.

He went on saying “Government can do these things anytime but they are not doing so. The President has spoken about it but there is no traction at all from the Ministers to curtail this. Are they part of this? They can only be part of this”.

Recently, President Emmerson Mnangagwa publicly tasked Chegutu West MP Dexter Nduna (Zanu PF), to end the chaos in the artisanal mining sector, raising speculation that the parliamentarian was partly responsible for the machete wars that have unsettled the country.

Machetes violence particularly associated with the small-scale mining industry has been on the rise country-wide. Machete-wielding gangs usually pounce on rich small-scale mines confiscating gold ore robbing and maiming even killing in the process. Experts have warned if the terror gangs are not contained the possibility of terror groups like notorious Alshabab of Somalia will be born.

Drought, mounting debt leave Zambia, Zim in dark

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Drought, mounting debt leave Zambia, Zim in dark

Drought has plunged millions of Zambians and Zimbabweans into darkness as hydro-power dams drain, and their governments’ debt is making matters worse.

Rolling electricity blackouts lasting 18 hours a day have choked the two economies.

Ballooning debt has left them unable to afford to import enough power to help cushion shortages.

Even if they could, the region’s biggest supplier, Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd, doesn’t have enough capacity to keep the lights on in its home market, South Africa.

The power crises in the three countries has exacerbated economic strain. Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product is expected to shrink this year, Zambia is on course for the slowest expansion in more than two decades and South Africa is staring down a second recession in as many years.

The downward spiral has been years in the making, as cash-strapped electricity utilities failed to replace aging plants and build new ones fast enough to keep up with demand, according to Kay Walsh, managing director at Nova Economics Ltd in Stellenbosch, near Cape Town.

The drought has only magnified the problem, she said.

“Everything has come to a head at a very unfortunate time, but the problems had been brewing,” Walsh said.

“They can’t actually afford to replace their capacity. It’s either a sharp increase in tariffs or it’s got to be funded by the taxpayer.”

Shut Kariba

Turbines at Kariba, the world’s biggest man-made reservoir, could be forced to shut completely after water levels dropped to the lowest level in 23 years, and continue to fall.

A disastrous scenario for both economies.

Electricity prices will need to rise, Walsh said.

That would add to inflation woes — Zimbabwe’s consumer prices surged an estimated 481 percent, last months according to independent estimates, and in Zambia price growth is at a three-year high.

Historically, the two countries have relied on cheap electricity from Kariba. As populations have grown and more people are connected to the grid, Governments didn’t raise tariffs enough to afford to build new production capacity.

Borrowing more to pay for plants will be difficult.

Zambia’s sovereign debt will reach 96 percent of gross domestic product next year, while Zimbabwe can’t take on more debt until it settles its arrears with international lenders.

By 2017, Zesco Ltd, Zambia’s State-owned power supplier, was in breach of seven loan agreements with banks including the Bank of China and Standard Chartered Plc, according to its latest annual report.

Zimbabwe more than tripled power tariffs in October and will need to act again, while Zambia has warned that an announcement on prices is imminent.

Only Option

That Zambia “is in a debt-induced crisis implies that very few external, and some domestic, suppliers of electricity are willing to guarantee additional supply without onerous demands which Zambia is unlikely to satisfy,” said Grieve Chelwa, a senior economics lecturer at the University of Cape Town.

“So the sum total of this has made the situation worse now than before.”

People including Brown Liamba, a 30-year-old who owns a printing shop in Lusaka, Zambia’s capital, would rather pay higher prices for electricity if it meant more reliable supply.

It will still cost less than the fuel he has to buy to run a generator.

“If that’s the only option to sort out the load-shedding, and me running my business, I’d rather pay double,” he said, using a regional term for rolling blackouts.

Even with higher prices, the power deficits in Zambia and Zimbabwe won’t disappear overnight.

It will take at least a couple of years for hydro-power dams to recover. And small businesses like Liamba’s that account for the bulk of economic activity in the two nations will continue to struggle.

“The impact is going to be substantial,” Chelwa said.

“Electricity, is the lifeblood of any economy.” — Bloomberg.

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