Parly advocates airport scanners, cameras

CHENGETAI MURIMWA/ TENDAI BHEBE

Zimbabwe’s airports should be equipped with  state of the art scanners and cameras that can detect smuggling of minerals, chairman of  the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development, Edmond Mkaratigwa has said.

Speaking at the Zimbabwe Alternative Mining Indaba held in Bulawayo last week, Mkaratigwa said the scanners at Zimbabwe’s international airports “are not the best, they are not able to detect minerals being smuggled outside”.

“When coming up with a budget we need to invest in state of art equipment that will help in detection of minerals, this will help in reducing mineral leakages,” he said.

Zimbabwe has been losing millions of dollars through gold smuggling into regional and international destinations, especially into South Africa and Arab countries such as UAE.

Last year, the Zimbabwe Miners Federation president Henrietta Rushwaya was arrested at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport on charges of attempting to smuggle 6kg of gold.

A report published last year by the Centre for Research and Development in Zimbabwe revealed that the country has a porous and corrupt aviation security system that is facilitating smuggling at private airstrips, national and international airports.

Meanwhile, Inspector of Mines and Explosives for Matabeleland North under the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development Engineer Tapiwa Makuvatsine said the government is committed to ensure that every citizen benefits from the mineral resources.

“Our mission is to promote transparent sustainable exploration, mining processing, marketing and management of mineral resources for the benefit of all Zimbabweans,” he said.

“Some of the measures that the Government is working on to plug the leakages include installing a sophisticated computerised system at the country’s border posts and airports which will be able to detect illegal activities.”

Gold is the country’s biggest foreign currency earner. Last year, the country earned US$946m down from US$1.3bn in 2018 from exports of the yellow metal.

Makuvatsine said the ministry’s inspection establishes whether the amount of ore that is extracted is in relation with what is being declared.

“We also have audits. We do mine audits to ascertain any mineral leakages within the mining circle. We will also check on submission of production on labour returns that is done in accordance to Mines and minerals Act. Every miner with title holding is mandated to submit those,” he said.

 

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