MINEX in association with the Zimbabwe Miners Federation, Zimshec, and other mining associations, is holding the regional exhibition and dialogue session to boost small-scale mining sector growth in the Southern Region on the 10th of June 2022 at Radio Park in Zvishavane, Great Dyke News 24 reports.
According to the organisers, small scale miners attending the event will come from Zvishavane, Mberengwa, Shurugwi, Masvingo, Chirumhanzu, Gweru, Filabusi and Gwanda.
” Minister of Mines and Mining Development Honourable Winston Chitando will be our guest of honour at the event where we are expecting 200 small-scale miners.
“He will make be making an address on the initiatives government is implementing to assist the Artisanal and Small Scale Mining sector as the country moves towards achievement of the US 12 billion dollars from mining by 2023.
“Small scale miners are faced with a number of challenges and the event is a great opportunity for miners to interact and engage with the minister and other officials. So we are saying all small-scale miners, this is your opportunity to put across your concerns to the minister.
“Other key speakers will be officials from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Fidelity Printers and Refiners, NSSA, EMA, Zimshec, and Mimosa. So there will be fruitful engagement with the whole mining ecosystem to ensure all miners’ concerns are addressed,” said Minex Public Relations and Communication Executive Moses Charedzera.
According to the ZIMSHEC Chairman Mukumba Nyenje, a lot of miners are facing challenges in terms of capital to boost their mining operations.
“Small Scale Miners are doing well in terms of production but they are facing a myriad of challenges from equipment, information dissemination, and processing and beneficiation of their minerals.
“In terms of precious and semi-precious stones, miners are stocking them for a year or more for example those mining tantalite and emerald in Sandawana don’t have a market for their minerals.
“In terms of base minerals like chrome, and copper black granite among others, miners are also facing challenges when it comes to marketing them and we are calling for MMCZ to help the miners with the market of the minerals.
“A lot of chrome miners are also facing challenges when it comes to securing equipment like smelting and washing plants and we are looking forward to policymakers assisting small-scale mining to be sustainable.
“When it comes to gold, a lot of miners are still using rudimentary tools and they need equipment like tractors, and compressors, to electrify their mines whereby they will be using hoists and be also able to blow some wind in their mines for aeration.
“They don’t have the equipment and enough capital to properly equip their mines and those are the main challenges in terms of equipment,” he said.
Minex is an experiential platform that brings together small-scale miners, suppliers, and other stakeholders. Among the key speakers for the dialogue session will be officials from various regulatory and policy-making organisation as well as mining value chain stakeholders.
Minex has been running for the past 7 years and they were in Mashonaland Central last year where Shamva hosted the Minex exhibition in November. According to the organizers, the Southern Region Minex exhibition and conference will adhere to all covid-19 protocols to safeguard and protect stakeholders from the pandemic.