Yes the Mashwest Ministry duo have been arrested for corruption, but…
Mashwest Deputy Provincial Mining Director (PMD) Junior Mudyawabikwa and former surveyor Robson Farayi Chinanayi, who were arrested by ZACC for extorting US$5000 from a man identified as Mr. Mombeshora to facilitate the quick processing of a Mining Certificate, are expected back in Chinhoyi magistrate court today.
Mudyawabikwa and Chinanayi appeared before Chinhoyi magistrate Rumbidzayi Tshuma, who remanded them in custody to Thursday (today) for a bail ruling.
BUT, Many may wonder, but what is causing this problem.
Mining Certificates take years to come out in Mashonaland West, mainly attributed to the lack of capacity to timely process the certificates.
According to sources, Mashwest currently has about 13,000 mining title applications. The applications can only be approved after inspection on the grounds of the application. However, the province only has two vehicles that should be used to service the 57,441 square km province, which is a very tall order for even the hardest workers.
A typical example is when an inspector/surveyor has to visit the ground for inspection at the Chilimba business centre. It is 476 km from the provincial office, and according to Google, it takes approximately 7 hours to get to the business centre. The Mines official will likely arrive after 15:00 hrs and will need to rest before commencing work. This means this process alone may take a minimum of two days to complete (that’s if the vehicle does not break down).
The rate at which one title is being processed, with the pending 13,000 Mining Title applications, it is not surprising why many are tempted to illegally mine or pay to get the title quicker.
This leaves room for corruption from both Ministry workers and desperate miners who would want to have their Title (Certificate) applications sped up.
While corruption should be resisted and desisted according to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC), much should be done to treat the fertile ground on which it can rapidly grow.
Capacity building and the introduction of the Cadastre system will go a long way to eliminate the temptation of corruption in the Ministry.
Mashwest Ministry of Mines needs vehicles, lots and lots of them.
The 12 billion mining industry also depends on the efficiency of the key Mines and Mining Development Provincial Offices like the Mashwest office.
Panoda kugadziriswa apa/ lokhu kudinga ukulungiswa/ this must be fixed!