Story by Tamuka Charakupa
ZANU PF affiliate, Miners4ED, held its annual National Chairman’s Conference in Kadoma, where a call was made for artisanal and small-scale miners to formalise their operations.
A key focus of the discussions was the call for the sector to embrace its role in nation-building
“As Miners4ED we are there to ensure that government policies and directives are followed within the mining sector. We want to contribute to national development therefore we are urging our membership to formalise and legalise our operations,” Chief Executive Officer, Miners4ED, Cde Coussie Anashe said.
The national chairman’s conference was held on the back of several developmental projects initiated by the outfit that include the construction of an orphanage and a community hall among other interventions.
“We have so far constructed an orphanage shelter with a carrying capacity of 40 now awaiting final touches before commissioning, while another hall is on the cards. This is our way of thanking the government for allowing us to conduct our mining activities. Our appeal to government is to be allocated land for agricultural purposes so that our children are able to sustain their stay at this facility through engaging in life skills projects,” Mashonaland West Chairperson, Miners4ED, Mr Gift Moses Mupeiwa said.
Officiating at the event, Minister of State for Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Honourable Marian Chombo reassured government’s support to the sector.
“I am impressed that the Miners4ED is one of the few affiliates which are still on the ground and doing the actual work. The construction of the orphanage centre is a welcome development which should be commended. This is the direction which the Second Republic led by President Emmerson Mnangagwa is imploring us to do under the mantra ‘Nyika Inovakwa nevene vayo’. We should prioritise safety as you conduct your mining activities. Let this meeting be a reminder to all of us that we should formalise so that you have access to funding mechanisms and also benefit from government’s mining related programmes,” Honourable Chombo said.
Artisanal and small-scale miners currently contribute around 65 percent of the country’s gold output.
