ZAMI 14th edition; Silveira House advances faith based advocacy in disputes resolution 

By Staff Reporter

THE 14th edition of the Zimbabwe Alternative Mining Indaba (ZAMI) officially kicked off in Bulawayo Tuesday with Silveira House calling for sustained faith based engagement in resolving disputes in mining districts.

 The Southern Africa nation is endowed with numerous minerals which range from platinum-group metals (PGMs), chrome, and lithium, as well as significant deposits of gold, coal, and diamonds. The country also produces nickel, copper, black granite, and asbestos, with other potential resources like iron ore, tungsten, and various semi-precious stones.

Sadly, the huge minerals basket has not benefited the country’s populace which continues to reel under severe hardships.

Estimates show that 60% of Zimbabwe’s   population lived on less than   US$3.65 a day, placing the country among the most impoverished in the SADC region. Rural communities, containing about 67% of Zimbabwe’s population, are the most vulnerable to drought and food insecurity and economic shocks.

Further,about 87% of Zimbabweans lack medical aid coverage with the health sector struggling with shortages of medicines, medical personnel, high costs and a significant “brain drain” of health professionals.

Speaking on the sidelines of  the event, the Jesuit Social Justice and Development Center, Silveira House official, Zandile Mvududu underscored sustained engagement as the way forward.

“Stakeholders must continue to dialogue hinging on the faith based approach which we encourage in the districts  we work in.The coming on board of the  Mines and Minerals Bill presents an opportunity for communities to give their input and tie the knot on legacy issues in the extractive sector,” she said. 

Zimbabwe Council of Churches   (ZCC) general secretary, Wilfred Dimingu said the story of extraction is the lament of the Prophet, a tale of plunder where the earth’s bounty is ripped away without regard for the land’s pride or the people’s dignity.

“I sigh alone at those who join us, who end field to field until there is no more room on earth for them.  Living desolation is their way. In Zimbabwe, we have witnessed rivers polluted, communities displaced and workers exploited in the name of short term gains. This is not stewardship. It is idolatry, worshipping mammon over the Creator.  Theologically, we are called to a different path,” he said.

The ZCC leader said sustainable development is the embodiment of this divine economy, one of abundance, not scarcity