MINES minister Walter Chidhakwa says he will engage his Home Affairs counterpart Kembo Mohadi to get an explanation on why police in Gwanda are confiscating metal detectors from small-scale miners.
ALBERT NCUBE OWN CORRESPONDENT
Police in Gwanda last week launched an operation that has seen artisanal miners losing their machines which are used to detect gold nuggets.
The exercise has raised the ire of gold panners who depend on the prospecting tool for survival.
Responding to questions from small-scale miners in a no-holds-barred meeting at Gwanda Hotel on Tuesday, Chidhakwa, who seemed unaware of the development, said he would engage Mohadi to find out why they were seizing the detectors.
Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation president Trynos Nkomo had questioned the rationale behind the seizure of the detectors by police.
“We are seeing a situation where detectors are being confiscated by the police while their (police) detectors are out in the field. Many people survive on these detectors,” he said.
Chidhakwa responded: “I will engage with the ministry of Home Affairs to find out why the detectors are being confiscated.
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“We must have a system where detectors are registered and the gold extracted taken to Fidelity.”
The minister warned gold barons against smuggling the precious mineral to neighbouring South Africa saying his ministry was working on implementing water-tight systems that would ensure gold goes to Fidelity Printers.
“If you have been in the habit of smuggling gold I urge you to desist and this is a warning shot, we will disregard the past if you show signs of repentance,” Chidakwa said.
He said the government was working on a model where large mining companies would assist small-scale miners by adopting and mentoring them.
Small-scale miners accused Blanket and Vumbachikwe mines of holding onto mining concessions which they were not utilising.
Zimbabwe, which used to produce 29 tonnes of gold in 1997, currently has a yearly production of 12 tonnes of gold with reports the country is losing millions of dollars through smuggled gold monthly.
Small-scale miners urged the ministry to demystify possession of gold and review laws that have seen many youths being incarcerated for gold panning and possession.
Gold panning and possession without a licence currently attracts a mandatory jail term of two and five years respectively.
