By Anna ChibamuEXPERTS last week unpacked the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill to legislators and mining stakeholders amid calls to consider provisions that ensure small-scale indigenous miners are prioritised due to their significant output ahead of foreigners.Also topical was the issue of Cadastre Registry and funding of artisanal miners in the sector.Members of Parliament (MPs) warned of chaos if some parts of the proposed law, alleged to be pro-foreign investors than local people, were not amended as expected by the generality of the populace.According to Mines Committee Chairperson and Bindura South MP Remigious Matangira, the Bill must have Zimbabweans as priority and not foreigners.“Artisanal miners are producing 60% of all these minerals especially gold. To my surprise, they are not even mentioned in in the Bill.“The small-scale miner has been restricted now to 48 hectares only…Still, the view is favouring the foreign minds.“Our Bill should not want to take investors to be the foreign people that come into the country as investors. It is good to be us, we are good to graduate, to be the owners of our land, our culture, and gradually they will move forward,” Matangira said amid applause from other MPs.Of concern to the Mines Committee chairperson was the Cadastre Registry system structure as presented by the government legal counsel.The Cadastre Registry establishes a Mining Cadastre Registry headed by the Secretary of Mines and it mandates the disclosure of beneficial ownership of mining rights, empowering the Registrar to demand sworn declarations and cancel titles where beneficial owners are not properly disclosed.The system creates the Mining Cadastre Register as the definitive record of all mining rights and titles in Zimbabwe, accessible online for public inspection.Matangira, warned, “You know we are coming in with a Cadastre system.
It will cause more serious issues than we ever saw.”He urged the Bill to amended to speak to what the people of Zimbabwe are making for their minerals.Nyanga South MP Supa Mandiwanzira also chipped in suggesting that the country has a fantastic opportunity to shape the mining sector that could make millionaires and billionaires out of blacks as part of the resources that are available home.“There’s no mining that takes place in this country without the traditional leadership. It does not matter where that investor is coming from.“You have to have consultation with the traditional leadership, but they’re not being represented on the mining affairs board.“I would like them in adjustment that the traditional leaders are appointed to that specific board.”Mandiwanzira added, “there is something heartbreaking happening in our country, which I think this law must impress.“There is nothing technologically innovative about a heaping fence or processing fence and taking that money outside the country. We are seeing alluvial, chrome mining, alluvial gold mining even on the rivers being done by foreigners.
Basic thing that does not need technology.“The investors from outside must bring technology to do things we can’t do. This law must restrict alluvial mining, river mining, whether it’s chrome or gold, to indigenous people…”Mandiwanzira called for exclusive, prospective license (EPL) period to be limited from 12 years to only six.“If you have not found anything in 12 years, what are you still doing there? I believe that this period must not be extended to 12 years. I think it must come to six years,” said Mandiwanzira.On traing Mandiwanzira said, “What’s happening in this country is heartbreaking.
A lot of foreigners are approaching people who are holding claims because our people are desperate.“They are giving away these claims in return for 10% of what comes out of there. That money is not building our country. It’s being shipped outside the country.“But if our people are training to understand that the value they are giving away is far more than what these guys are bringing, We would not have those things that are heartbreaking taking place.“This Bill must provide the necessity to educate all our people about the relevance and the criticality of mining.“We saw a big deal happen in the sale of Prospect Mining to Huayo Cobalt in China, $450 million.“It’s money that has exchanged hands outside of our territory, no tax accrual to our country.
But this, what is about with assets being sold, this law does not address how that is going to be handled to ensure that the exchange of ownership of assets, whether it is on the Australian Stock Exchange, the London Stock Exchange or the Canadian Stock Exchange, benefits the tax collection in our own country. I did not see any provision of that in this situation,” the MP said.Another MP spoke of value addition and the beneficiation.“How practically are we putting some measures to make sure that there is no continuous mining without value addition and proficiency?Speaker Jacob Mudenda spoke about several issues as he gave his personal opinion.“Exploration needs to be done as a compelling exercise. Where are the minerals?.”He spoke of value addition and benefiation, artisanal miners’ resource development (provision of a fund) , indigenisation and authorisation of the mining industry and the Cadastre system, which he said, were a must in the Bill to be included.“Artisanal miners are producing 60% and fund them so that they can go to 90% in the end.“The Cadastre system, the Bill does not create the harm.
The Cadastre system is going to be harmonised nationally. We should have one Cadastre system that can be used by not only the Mines and Mining Development ministry, but a new contract that must have access to that, and other ministries that are involved in the development of issues that should be used and therefore, they should be clearly engaged with this affair generally, in terms of the mapping.“It is very important. As long as the Cadastre system is not in place, then we have not started,” said Mudenda.
By Anna ChibamuEXPERTS last week unpacked the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill to legislators and mining stakeholders amid calls to consider provisions that ensure small-scale indigenous miners are prioritised due to their significant output ahead of foreigners.Also topical was the issue of Cadastre Registry and funding of artisanal miners in the sector.Members of Parliament (MPs) warned of chaos if some parts of the proposed law, alleged to be pro-foreign investors than local people, were not amended as expected by the generality of the populace.According to Mines Committee Chairperson and Bindura South MP Remigious Matangira, the Bill must have Zimbabweans as priority and not foreigners.“Artisanal miners are producing 60% of all these minerals especially gold.
To my surprise, they are not even mentioned in in the Bill.“The small-scale miner has been restricted now to 48 hectares only…Still, the view is favouring the foreign minds.“Our Bill should not want to take investors to be the foreign people that come into the country as investors. It is good to be us, we are good to graduate, to be the owners of our land, our culture, and gradually they will move forward,” Matangira said amid applause from other MPs.Of concern to the Mines Committee chairperson was the Cadastre Registry system structure as presented by the government legal counsel.The Cadastre Registry establishes a Mining Cadastre Registry headed by the Secretary of Mines and it mandates the disclosure of beneficial ownership of mining rights, empowering the Registrar to demand sworn declarations and cancel titles where beneficial owners are not properly disclosed.The system creates the Mining Cadastre Register as the definitive record of all mining rights and titles in Zimbabwe, accessible online for public inspection.Matangira, warned, “You know we are coming in with a Cadastre system. It will cause more serious issues than we ever saw.”He urged the Bill to amended to speak to what the people of Zimbabwe are making for their minerals.Nyanga South MP Supa Mandiwanzira also chipped in suggesting that the country has a fantastic opportunity to shape the mining sector that could make millionaires and billionaires out of blacks as part of the resources that are available home.“There’s no mining that takes place in this country without the traditional leadership.
It does not matter where that investor is coming from.“You have to have consultation with the traditional leadership, but they’re not being represented on the mining affairs board.“I would like them in adjustment that the traditional leaders are appointed to that specific board.”Mandiwanzira added, “there is something heartbreaking happening in our country, which I think this law must impress.“There is nothing technologically innovative about a heaping fence or processing fence and taking that money outside the country. We are seeing alluvial, chrome mining, alluvial gold mining even on the rivers being done by foreigners. Basic thing that does not need technology.“The investors from outside must bring technology to do things we can’t do.
This law must restrict alluvial mining, river mining, whether it’s chrome or gold, to indigenous people…”Mandiwanzira called for exclusive, prospective license (EPL) period to be limited from 12 years to only six.“If you have not found anything in 12 years, what are you still doing there? I believe that this period must not be extended to 12 years. I think it must come to six years,” said Mandiwanzira.On traing Mandiwanzira said, “What’s happening in this country is heartbreaking. A lot of foreigners are approaching people who are holding claims because our people are desperate.“They are giving away these claims in return for 10% of what comes out of there.
That money is not building our country. It’s being shipped outside the country.“But if our people are training to understand that the value they are giving away is far more than what these guys are bringing, We would not have those things that are heartbreaking taking place.“This Bill must provide the necessity to educate all our people about the relevance and the criticality of mining.“We saw a big deal happen in the sale of Prospect Mining to Huayo Cobalt in China, $450 million.“It’s money that has exchanged hands outside of our territory, no tax accrual to our country. But this, what is about with assets being sold, this law does not address how that is going to be handled to ensure that the exchange of ownership of assets, whether it is on the Australian Stock Exchange, the London Stock Exchange or the Canadian Stock Exchange, benefits the tax collection in our own country.
I did not see any provision of that in this situation,” the MP said.Another MP spoke of value addition and the beneficiation.“How practically are we putting some measures to make sure that there is no continuous mining without value addition and proficiency?Speaker Jacob Mudenda spoke about several issues as he gave his personal opinion.“Exploration needs to be done as a compelling exercise. Where are the minerals?.”He spoke of value addition and benefiation, artisanal miners’ resource development (provision of a fund) , indigenisation and authorisation of the mining industry and the Cadastre system, which he said, were a must in the Bill to be included.“Artisanal miners are producing 60% and fund them so that they can go to 90% in the end.“The Cadastre system, the Bill does not create the harm. The Cadastre system is going to be harmonised nationally.
We should have one Cadastre system that can be used by not only the Mines and Mining Development ministry, but a new contract that must have access to that, and other ministries that are involved in the development of issues that should be used and therefore, they should be clearly engaged with this affair generally, in terms of the mapping.“It is very important. As long as the Cadastre system is not in place, then we have not started,” said Mudenda.
EXPERTS last week unpacked the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill to legislators and mining stakeholders amid calls to consider provisions that ensure small-scale indigenous miners are prioritised due to their significant output ahead of foreigners.
Also topical was the issue of Cadastre Registry and funding of artisanal miners in the sector.
Members of Parliament (MPs) warned of chaos if some parts of the proposed law, alleged to be pro-foreign investors than local people, were not amended as expected by the generality of the populace.
According to Mines Committee Chairperson and Bindura South MP Remigious Matangira, the Bill must have Zimbabweans as priority and not foreigners.
“Artisanal miners are producing 60% of all these minerals especially gold. To my surprise, they are not even mentioned in in the Bill.
“The small-scale miner has been restricted now to 48 hectares only…Still, the view is favouring the foreign minds.
“Our Bill should not want to take investors to be the foreign people that come into the country as investors.
It is good to be us, we are good to graduate, to be the owners of our land, our culture, and gradually they will move forward,” Matangira said amid applause from other MPs.
Of concern to the Mines Committee chairperson was the Cadastre Registry system structure as presented by the government legal counsel.
The Cadastre Registry establishes a Mining Cadastre Registry headed by the Secretary of Mines and it mandates the disclosure of beneficial ownership of mining rights, empowering the Registrar to demand sworn declarations and cancel titles where beneficial owners are not properly disclosed.
The system creates the Mining Cadastre Register as the definitive record of all mining rights and titles in Zimbabwe, accessible online for public inspection.
Matangira, warned, “You know we are coming in with a Cadastre system. It will cause more serious issues than we ever saw.”
He urged the Bill to amended to speak to what the people of Zimbabwe are making for their minerals.
Nyanga South MP Supa Mandiwanzira also chipped in suggesting that the country has a fantastic opportunity to shape the mining sector that could make millionaires and billionaires out of blacks as part of the resources that are available home.
Source: Newzimbabwe
