Contentions over Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill

Hyde Chatyoka, a mining expert, has become the latest mining guru to speak out against the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill of 2015 which is currently before Parliament.

The mining expert has since argued that if enacted into law the Bill will cause a lot of mayhems for both artisans and other miners.

"This satanic Bill crafted in 2000 by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), with the collusion of both the Chamber of Mines and Commercial Farmers Union, seeks to nip the growth of artisanal mining and miners by putting too many huddles on their way on very dubious allegations like environmental concerns.

The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) is mandated to policy environmental issues and yet the Bill seeks to duplicate that function by seeking to deny the entry of indigenous people into mining.

It's a diabolic mooted idea whom in 2000 blocked indigenous people from mining which government has been blinded not to see because by becoming land reform beneficiaries, most of our leaders though being black are now the new whites in the scheme of this devilish Bill.

Moreso, the Bill has pushed a wedge between us and our leaders and if it is enacted, most blacks will never own a mine but rather become mere employees like the situation that we witnessed prior to our independence in 1980," said the mining expert.

However, Henrietta Rushwaya, president of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) said there was no need to focus on the Bill as there was something else brewing.

"Why focus on 2015 issues when new this are brewing? We don't want to live in the past. A draft Bill will be brought before us soon so let's wait and see what comes up," said Rushwaya.

@danielItai_zw