shloboe boe
Wallace Ruzvidzo, Harare Bureau
THE Government has not banned small-scale mining activities but has rather urged miners to exercise caution during the rainy season, Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister, Dr Polite Kambamura has said.
This follows misguided reports from some media outlets claiming that the Deputy Minister had called for a ban on small-scale mining activities.
In an exclusive interview today, Dr Kambamura clarified that the Government had not banned small-scale mining.
The Deputy Minister explained that he was merely advising small-scale miners to suspend their operations as a precautionary measure.
This advice comes after the collapse of a mining shaft in Makaha, Mudzi, last week, which resulted in three small-scale miners being trapped.
“We did not ban underground mining. We value the contributions coming from the small-scale sector, especially the gold subsector. However, above all, life is sacred, and we value the lives of people. Safety will be a priority.
“So, underground mining is not banned, and we do not have any plans to ban small-scale underground mining. What we are saying is that, if there are bad weather conditions, our miners should consider safety,” he said.
“I issued a comment on the matter (Makaha incident) advising small-scale miners to consider suspending going underground due to the dangers posed by incessant rains and weak ground conditions that can lead to mine flooding and ground collapse.
“On February 13, 2019, we had a similar case at Battlefields in Kadoma where small-scale miners were flooded by rain and we lost 24 miners as a result.
“So, as a precautionary measure, we advised small-scale miners not to go underground, especially when it is raining, and to only resume once the weather conditions have improved,” he added.
