ASMs in Mutasa district said Mutasa Rural District Council’s failure to rehabilitate roads that link gold claims and milling plants had adversely affected gold production.
The miners made the remarks at a Green Governance Zimbabwe Trust-organised workshop in the district recently.
Samuel Mandara, a miner, said they were paying road levy every month despite the council’s reluctance to rehabilitate roads.
He said they had been greatly affected particularly this rainy season.
“As small-scale miners, we are struggling to transport gold ore to gold millers because of poor roads. We are paying $60 road levy to Mutasa Rural District Council, but nothing is being done and this is affecting our production,” he said.
“The roads are in a bad state especially in this rainy season, something needs to be done. We end up repairing the roads on our own and this is not good at all,” he said
Zimbabwe Miners Federation treasurer-general Lufeyi Shato, who also attended the meeting said: “Roads has been a cause of concern for us miners and we are really affected. Something needs to be done. Mining is a combination of things, we also need water and electricity among others,” he said. Newsday