News / National
Mugabe warns mining companies
13 Dec 2015 at 09:32hrs | Views
PRESIDENT Mugabe yesterday warned mining companies that continue to defy the country's indigenisation and empowerment laws, saying the Government will not allow them to exploit the nation's resources without them benefiting locals.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 15th Zanu-PF National People's Conference in Victoria Falls, President Mugabe said Government is willing to work with any company as long as they realise that the natural resources belong to Zimbabweans.
President Mugabe said the country that has toughened from illegal Western sanctions will not allow countries like Britain and the United States to dictate to it on how to manage the nation's natural resources.
"We have our own philosophy, ideology and we believe that our own natural resources are our own. We don't share them with anyone except ourselves and except those who come to us as our partners and we agree that they shall do A, B and C on their part and we do the same on our part but they must accept that we are the owners of our resources," said President Mugabe.
"There are companies in this country that still refuse to accept our empowerment policy in the mining sector. Well this is 2015 and of course we are in December, the end of year but certainly come January and its 2016, that stubbornness and resistance we say should end in 2015.
"In 2016, we will not accept a company which refuses and rejects our policy of indigenisation and empowerment in the manner in which we described it."
President Mugabe said the companies should stick to the provisions of the indigenisation and empowerment laws that stipulate that locals or the Government should have a 51 percent stake in projects that involve the exploitation of natural resources.
"We had said in natural resources where natural resources are ours and you have come to mine or do a project in agriculture, horticulture or so, it's our natural resources you will be working on in order for you to prosper, we must have 51 percent share in that company," said President Mugabe.
"We mean our people or our Government or both. If you're bringing your resources to our country which we don't have and you're manufacturing something we're deriving from resources we don't have, that's different, you negotiate then we negotiate with you."
The President said natural resources are depleting and when they are mined can never grow back after exploitation.
"We must have properly benefited. But some people say why do we do that, its inhibiting, well, let it be inhibited because those resources are not just ours for this generation alone, they belong to, yes, us but they also belong to our children and children's children, that is what we must do," said President Mugabe.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 15th Zanu-PF National People's Conference in Victoria Falls, President Mugabe said Government is willing to work with any company as long as they realise that the natural resources belong to Zimbabweans.
President Mugabe said the country that has toughened from illegal Western sanctions will not allow countries like Britain and the United States to dictate to it on how to manage the nation's natural resources.
"We have our own philosophy, ideology and we believe that our own natural resources are our own. We don't share them with anyone except ourselves and except those who come to us as our partners and we agree that they shall do A, B and C on their part and we do the same on our part but they must accept that we are the owners of our resources," said President Mugabe.
"There are companies in this country that still refuse to accept our empowerment policy in the mining sector. Well this is 2015 and of course we are in December, the end of year but certainly come January and its 2016, that stubbornness and resistance we say should end in 2015.
"In 2016, we will not accept a company which refuses and rejects our policy of indigenisation and empowerment in the manner in which we described it."
President Mugabe said the companies should stick to the provisions of the indigenisation and empowerment laws that stipulate that locals or the Government should have a 51 percent stake in projects that involve the exploitation of natural resources.
"We had said in natural resources where natural resources are ours and you have come to mine or do a project in agriculture, horticulture or so, it's our natural resources you will be working on in order for you to prosper, we must have 51 percent share in that company," said President Mugabe.
"We mean our people or our Government or both. If you're bringing your resources to our country which we don't have and you're manufacturing something we're deriving from resources we don't have, that's different, you negotiate then we negotiate with you."
The President said natural resources are depleting and when they are mined can never grow back after exploitation.
"We must have properly benefited. But some people say why do we do that, its inhibiting, well, let it be inhibited because those resources are not just ours for this generation alone, they belong to, yes, us but they also belong to our children and children's children, that is what we must do," said President Mugabe.
Source - sundaynews
