Follow laid down rules, miners urged

The Government has urged miners to operate within the confines of the law and have all the necessary paperwork needed before commencing mining operations.

Zimbabwe’s mining sector plays a very significant role in the development of the country as it has continued to bring much-needed income into the country.

It contributes to foreign exchange, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Government revenues, capital formation and infrastructure development.

There are, however, negative impacts of mining that include mine exploration, construction, operation, and maintenance that may result in land-use change and may have associated negative impacts on environments, including deforestation, erosion, contamination, alteration of soil profiles, contamination of local streams and wetlands, and an increase in noise level.

Speaking in the National Assembly last week, Minister of Mines and Mining Development Zhemu Soda urged all miners to work within the parameters of the law in line with President Mnangagwa’s Responsible Mining Initiative which seeks to protect the environment.

President Mnangagwa

In May last year, President Mnangagwa launched the Responsible Mining Initiative, to provide oversight on the sector and ensure compliance with the country’s statutes.

“We expect that miners will comply with the commitment that they would have given. An environmental social impact assessment would have been carried out before a certificate is issued.

“However, we then find at times that there are some violations especially with miners after they would have made all such commitments.

“They then proceed to mine irresponsibly. From time to time, some audits are being carried out over and above the normal inspections that the Ministry of Mines conducts,” said the minister.

He noted that his ministry with other ministries now conducts audits to ensure there is compliance.

“There is a lot that is happening, we normally carry out some inspections and we now have some responsible mining audits that are being mandated to be carried out.

“With all this, we should be able to identify the violations and those that are caught on the wrong side of the law are punished immediately as a way of deterring them from committing environmental crimes,” said Minister Soda. -chronicle