eBusiness Weekly
Ishemunyoro Chingwere
GOVERNMENT is not neglecting the development of the rest of the minerals in the country due to an implied obsession with gold, Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Polite Kambamura (pictured) has said.
Deputy Minister Kambamura made the remarks while speaking at a stakeholder consultative meeting between state minerals marketer — the Minerals and Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) — and stakeholders in the chrome production industry.
Government, Deputy Minister Kambamura said, is being inundated with complaints from chrome producers who allege Government is expending all its efforts on the development of the gold sub-sector at the expense of the rest of the minerals, particularly chrome.
Speaking to chrome stakeholders, the Deputy Minister however, said all minerals are key towards the attainment of the Ministry’s US$12 billion annual export target by 2023 as a key enabler to Vision 2030 by which Zimbabwe should attain upper middle income earning status as set by President Mnangagwa.
To this end, he said, Government is in the process of crafting a chrome development policy that will guide development in the chrome sector and its sub sector.
“We have had cries especially from the small scale miners in chrome that more focus is being given to gold miners, yet the chrome miners are being neglected,” said Deputy Minister Kambamura.
“Government position is that we love you all and will attend to you the same way.
“Although there have been some abnormalities, I want to promise you that the same thrust that is being given to gold miners will be the same attention that we will be giving you.
“As Government we appreciate the contribution of the (chrome) sector to the GDP of the country. As you are aware, here in Zimbabwe we hold the second largest chrome deposits in the world after South Africa and the best chrome grades in the world.
“As such, the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has taken chrome to be one of the key minerals, in line with the Transitional Stabilisation Programme, to see Zimbabwe attaining upper middle income economy status by 2030.
“As you are aware, we are in the process of drafting a chrome (development) policy to try by all means to bring sanity to the sector in terms of transparency and also in line with His Excellency’s (President Mnangagwa) thrust on value addition,” he said.
He also noted that it was pleasing to note that some smelting companies were already heeding to Government’s beneficiation call and had begun increasing capacity in line with Government set target of 450 000 tonnes of ferrochrome this year up from 370 000 last year.
Speaking at the same event, MMCZ General Manager Tongai Muzenda said the minerals marketer’s aim in organising the meeting is to make sure that underhand dealings in the chrome sector are minimised and eventually eradicated.
He said the marketer is also keen to make sure it maximises on miner retention so that the producer remains in business.
“We are engaging so that at the end of the day we minimise on all underhand dealings, in fact there has to be a stop to this,” said Muzenda.
“The second thing is we want the MMCZ to be doing their bit in terms of their role as per the law and make sure that miners get real value for produce,” he said.
