THE Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) is set to host a pivotal conference aimed at driving formalisation and sustainable practices within the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, which now accounts for the bulk of the country’s gold output, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Dubbed a “conference for change,” the event will be the official closing conference of the MineEntra 2025 Expo at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre in Bulawayo on October 10.
In an interview, ZMF chief executive officer Wellington Takavarasha said the conference dovetails with the government’s “responsible mining” mantra and the recent responsible mining audit initiated by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“Much of the issues that have to do with that (audit) is hovering around the issues of ESG and also corporate social responsibility issues, the safety of the miners and also the welfare and well-being of the miners,” Takavarasha said.
He emphasised the need for harmony between miners and other land users, revealing that the conference would involve officials from the Ministry of Agriculture.
“So that there is cohabitation between the miners and the farmers… one person doing his farming activities without necessarily being interrupted by the mining, or the miner vice versa,” he said.
The ZMF CEO also stated that the forum would serve as a critical consultative platform for the ongoing Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill, gathering input from miners on the ground.
“This is also part of a forum where we can gather one or two points that you might have missed that can be added to the position paper that has already been put to government,” Takavarasha said.
“We really wanted to have a dialogue approach where the government realises the full potential and significance of artisanal and small-scale mining… the bottom line that we’re crying for, lamenting for, is to have policies that are palatable to a small-scale operation.”
The ASM sector has become the lifeblood of Zimbabwe’s gold production, contributing 65% of the yellow metal and a significant portion of chrome output.
Takavarasha said the conference would feature presenters from key government stakeholders, including the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, to discuss how miners can directly benefit from their activities.
“How do we come up with programmes and projects that benefit these artisanal small-scale miners?” he said.
“We anticipated we doing a very powerful MineEntra, that’s why one of our themes is a conference for change… we have been talking about these issues but we need a conference about change.”
According to a concept note from the federation, the conference is designed to “foster a collaborative ecosystem that drives the formalisation, modernisation, and sustainable development of the ASM sector in Zimbabwe.”
Expected outcomes include the development of a clearer pathway to formalisation for artisanal miners, enhanced regulatory understanding, and the promotion of a sustainability charter for environmentally responsible mining.
