By Business Reporter – Wednesday 26 February 2020
LOCAL NEWS – HARARE (Mining Index) – ZIMBABWE Miners Federation (ZMF) president, Henrietta Rushwaya says her association has a mandate to protect miners from unscrupulous malpractices that have bedevilled the extractive sector.
Corruption is entrenched in the highest levels of governance and threatens Zimbabwe’s democracy, with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development provincial offices reportedly being the epicentre of most corrupt offices.
“As ZMF, we realised there is an increase in the number of cases where people both local and foreign have been swindled of their hard earned cash by unscrupulous elements on the pretext of claim identification, registration, pegging etc.”
“Kindly note that it is our duty as ZMF to guard against such malpractices and we shall name and shame the malcontents,” said Rushwaya.
Norton Miners Association chairman, Privelage Moyo cited elements of dishonest at the Bindura mines offices saying,
“Our provincial departments of mines are corrupt or at times ignorant regarding updating of reserved areas and EPOs (Exclusive Prospective Orders). I have a known and recent situation at Ministry of Mines offices in Bindura who claimed an area has an EPO status but upon further research we discovered that the company previously allocated the EPO in question had given it back to the ministry but the Bindura office insisted it was still effective.”
ZMF estimates that over a billion in mining revenue is lost annually through leakages especially of gold.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has on several occasions warned mining officials to shun corruption in the extractive sector saying his government will decisively deal with those caught on the wrong side of the law. ENDS// www.miningindex.co.zw
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