Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. The Government says it has taken action against rogue miners who refuse to follow the law.
The measures taken by the Government to deal with errant miners include imposition of fines, confiscation of explosives and suspensions of operating licences.
This was said by the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Jenfan Muswere at a recent Post Cabinet Press Briefing.
Muswere said Cabinet received and adopted a report on the Responsible Mining Audit as presented by the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Zhemu Soda. He added:
Regarding Small Scale Mines, with a labour force of up to 200 employees, the audit established that most of them are not complying with the legal transportation and licensing issues.
The nation is being informed that in all the identified transgressions, corrective action is taken including the following: imposition of fines; confiscation of explosives; suspensions from operating licences; cautions with instructions to regularise within a stipulated time frame.
The Responsible Mining Audit came up with a number of useful recommendations which the government is implementing and the Inter-ministerial Committee should continue to develop other solutions.
The nation is being informed that large-scale mines, with at least 1 000 employees, are to a large extent, complying with mining laws, environmental laws, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, Immigration, labour and energy regulations. There are however isolated cases where immigration laws are being violated.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched a Responsible Mining Audit on 11 May 2023 aimed at ensuring that all mining operations are conducted in compliance with the country’s laws.
The audit was conducted in eight of the country’s ten provinces namely: Mashonaland Central, Midlands, Masvingo, Manicaland, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Mashonaland West, and Mashonaland East.
The audit covered 422 mining sites or locations in these provinces.
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