ZMF donates 30K masks towards COVID-19

- News - April 16, 2020
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By Business Reporter – Friday 17 April 2020

LOCAL – HARARE (Mining Index) – MINERS body, Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) last week donated 30 000 masks towards efforts to contain and combat the spread of Corana Virus.

ZMF president, Henrietta Rushwaya, together with other ZMF executive members handed over the donation to President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House last week.

Speaking to Mining Index, ZMF chief executive officer Wellington Takavarasha said ZMF teamed up with Chamber of Mines Zimbabwe (CoMZ) in making the donation.

“The Minister of Mines and Mining Development Winston Chitando created a ZMF/Chamber of Mines COVID-19 Committee. His Excellency the President Emmerson Mnangagwa set up an inter-Ministerial Committee responsible for monitoring the situation and managing response to COVID-19 outbreak and identifying gaps for corrective action,”

“On the same vein, there was call by the President for donations in cash or kind. Today the mining industry, CoMZ and ZMF donated 30 000 masks for the eight mining provinces,” said Takavarasha.

Rushwaya said her federation continue to solicit for further cash donations from various partners and stakeholders to be channelled through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development into a government designated account, and in kind to the COVID-19 ministerial committee.

“As ZMF, we facilitate for the resource mobilisation and official handover. It will also be good for the world to realise that no present is too big or too small. The 30 000 masks were a donation from the ZMF executive. We now await donations from miners in general,” said Rushwaya.

While Zimbabwe is on a 21 day lockdown to contain the spread of the disease, ZMF a fortnight ago applied to government, through the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development seeking exemption of its members from total lockdown to continue with their mining activities while adhering to, and taking necessary precautions to avoid the spread of COVID-19.

“In Zimbabwe, there is an urgent need now to build rapid education in artisanal and small-scale mining communities, where precarious work and poor access to water facilitates for hand-washing can pose particular difficulties. If people act quickly, measures could be put into place at national and community levels to mitigate the impacts,” wrote Takavarasha together with Dr Sam Spiegel, a Senior Lecturer in International Development at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre of African Studies on an article titled Coronavirus, Artisanal Mining Communities and Urgent Measures for Saving Lives.

This year, ZMF projected 80 tonnes of gold through increased investment, strengthened provision of drilling and exploration services the federation has identified as key facets to achieving this vision, which will contribute significantly to the national economy.

The global pandemic which originated in China’s Wuhan province has infected and killed thousands globally, with Zimbabwe recording 23 infections at the time of publishing.

While COVID-19 has no cure yet, medical practitioners are still engrossed in efforts to come up with a drug that cures this global pandemic. The United States of America (USA) last month announced it would try the Chloroquine drug on Covid-19 patients pending discovery of the drug that cures Corona Virus.  ENDS// www.miningindex.co.zw

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