TENDAI BHEBE IN BULAWAYO
Zimbabwe’s small scale miners have expressed disquiet over exorbitant levies charged by local authorities amid revelations they are making it difficult for them to sustain operations.
Addressing stakeholders in Bulawayo recently, the Zimbabwe Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya said the high levies were hindering the development of the mining sector.
“It’s an issue which has been a bone of contention in the sector lately. The rural district councils’ high levies are totally unacceptable because they are hindering development of the sector,” she said.
Rushwaya also said there was no uniformity as local authorities were charging different levies, causing discord in the sector.
“If you were to go to Umzingwane Rural District Council, you would find out that their charges are totally different from those from Midlands. When you look at Mberengwa Rural District Council, they also have a different pricing regime and as such this has caused discord within the sector and our small scale miners are the most affected when it comes to RDCs, “she said.
The small-scale miners feared the exorbitant rates and levies charged by local authorities might force many to engage in illegal mining activities
Zimbabwe has over 4,000 gold deposits, the world’s second-largest stores of platinum group metals, and the world’s second-largest reserves of high-grade chromium ores.
