By Staff Reporter
CIVIL Society Organizations (CSOs) who converged under the Zimbabwe Alternative Mining Indaba (ZAMI) recently has called for transparency and pro-poor mining initiatives as poverty alleviation strategy.
The ZAMI is a premier annual multi-stakeholder engagement platform on natural resource governance that brings together over 300 delegates constituting communities from resource-rich areas, civil society organizations (CSOs), and faith-based organizations (FBOs), social movements, small-scale miners, academia among others.
This year’s edition of the ZAMI brought the curtains down in Bulawayo over the weekend following successful deliberations on pertinent issues on the country’s mining sector.
The Silveira House projects coordinator, Zandile Mvududu said the high level indaba established that to achieve increased and sustained growth in the mining sector, attention needs to be paid on specific mining sector issues.
“This will be realised through finalisation and implementation of mineral specific policy frameworks such as the Artisanal Small-Scale Gold Strategy, Minerals Development Policy, Value Addition and Beneficiation Strategy and a comprehensive review of the Gold Trade Act, Precious Stones Trade Act and amendment of the Mines and Minerals Act.
Economic Justice for Women’s Project (EJWP) executive director Margaret Mutsamvi said the ZAMI has provided an alternative open and inclusive conversation on the country’s extractive sector.
“The country’s mining sector has been very sacred and protected from public scrutiny and interrogation. A sector highly protected by powerful politicians but ZAMI has provided a platform where ordinary citizens originating from the affected mining villages where extraction is taking place get a chance to share their first hand experiences,” she said.
She said pertinent issues affecting young women in the mining communities and those participating as small scale miners were discussed.
The ruling Zanu-PF party district chairman, Chisambiro Village head and Ward 18 Mutoko Councilor Micah Chisambiro said the platform has empowered local communities to tackle Shenanigans perpetrated by Chinese miners.
“They (Chinese miners) are coming to the communities without enough paperwork .When we try to engage them, nothing meaningful comes out from such engagements. Many of these companies do not have proper documentation like the Environmental Impact Assessments
“However, we appreciate the role being played by Silveira House and conferences like the ZAMI for going a long way to push for the engagements and forge some agreements. It is through such support which has gone a long way to empower locals,” he said.
