THE Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) has vowed to name and shame unscrupulous chrome miners operating under the cover of darkness as a way to protect legitimate small-scale miners.
This comes amid growing frustration from registered miners across the country who are finding their operations encroached upon and exhausted by illegal miners operating in collusion with certain local officials and claim holders.
Addressing the Chamber of Mines Annual Mining Conference and Exhibition recently, ZMF president Henrietta Rushwaya said those clandestine operations were operating under well-resourced groups
“Minister, let me take this opportunity to bring to your attention the fact that I was very touched when the outgoing president of the Chamber alluded to the fact that small-scale miners should be accommodated and their issues attended to.
“Let me bring to this house the occasion of a new type of illegal small-scale miner who has come on board-those who come overnight and perform illegal mining in your areas. “During the day, you find the illegal small-scale miner you are used to, who is just tilling your area-but at night, there are big trucks and excavators seen working illegally.”
“It is unfortunate that we, as small-scale miners, continue to carry the label of ‘illegal miners’ while these sophisticated syndicates run operations on our claims at night. “These are not artisanal miners using picks and shovels. These are well-resourced groups deliberately disrespecting our rights,” she added.
Rushwaya said the “name and shame” initiative would publicly expose perpetrators and honest miners losing their livelihoods and faith in the regulatory system.
“ZMF believes that public shaming will act as a powerful deterrent and compel law enforcement and regulatory bodies to take decisive action. “We are making a clarion call to the Minister to allow us to name and shame those new illegal miners who have overtaken us, stolen our identity, and caused a lot of damage,” she said.
“There is a need for greater collaboration between the Ministry of Mines, EMA, ZRP, and ZIMRA to ensure only compliant operators are allowed to work.
“Protecting legitimate miners is crucial for the formalisation, transparency, and value addition goals of Zimbabwe’s mining sector”
The president implored the authorities to intervene on these well-resourced groups who conduct illegal mining on registered claims overnight.
