The mining sector in Zimbabwe has been a major contributor to the GDP of the economy and it has brought a lot of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the country. It has sustained most of the government’s expenditures but the mining sector has not harnessed the full potential of its mineral endowments for sustainable and inclusive development. Economic hardships and unemployment has seen the majority of Zimbabweans depending on informal mining activities as a source of livelihood. However, the corrupt practices that are characterized by the sector, have hindered sustainable and inclusive development at community and national level. When Community Youth Development Trust (CYDT) rolled out the anti-corruption project, one of its major objectives was to create an all-inclusive environment in which local communities were the major drivers of development and beneficiaries of their local embedded resources.
Due to a training that was given to small scale miners on advocacy in Maphisa – Matobo district, small scale miners gained confidence and stood against injustices that they were facing on daily basis. As a result, they managed to name and shame one gold baron, Fisani Moyo who has been manipulating them for long. They have managed to knock in every office where they thought they could get help seeing that Moyo was enjoying protection from the police officers. After the anti- corruption roadshow, their zeal to liberate themselves escalated as they approached the Member of Parliament Hon Edgar Moyo the next day and narrated their ordeal which forced the MP to contacted Fisani Moyo and accompanied the small scale miners operating under Khuphuka Mining Cooperative to the police station. They have since taken the matter to the police and legal steps have begun and they are updating CYDT on each and every step. As we write this Moyo is negotiating with them to have the matter settled out of court and is proposing to pay back all the monies that he owes them. The cooperative discovered that Moyo was corruptly buying gold from them and selling it at black market rate hence depriving them right to access receipt of their sells which might enhance chances of them acquiring bank loans as they are regarded as collaterary by Fidelity printers and all banks that buy Gold.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Mines office in Gwanda informed the participants at a stakeholder meeting that mining violence could be a result of scramble for the remaining 5% mining land after 95% have been allocated to the Exclusive Prospective Orders (EPOs). As such stakeholders demanded to know who are these EPOS and what criterion was used to allocate them. To this effect, the Mayor, CYDT and Youth in Mining representative were tasked to engage ministry of mines further so as to get full details of who are the EPOs. This was after realizing that, no consultations were made to the locals hence the need to call for the ministry rescind its decision.
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