Youths threaten to hijack dormant white-owned mines

A NEW organisation running under the banner Youth Business League has threatened to seize all white-owned mines which have halted operations, throwing employees to the dungeons of joblessness.

The organisation, which is affiliated to the Zimbabwe Youth Council, made the threats at a time Zanu-PF youth league secretary Kudzanai Chipanga recently pleaded with President Robert Mugabe for the greenlight to invade the remaining white-owned farms in the country.

Addressing a Press conference on Tuesday, the organisation's secretary general, McNorman Chitongo, said some miners were clinging onto the licences and denying locals the opportunity to take over the failed activities.

"The struggle for economic independence is largely pitting us, the heroes, against a small battalion of economic saboteurs, especially in the mining sector, where a number of white-owned mines have been closed on fictitious excuses and many people left jobless," he said.

"If they have failed, why are they refusing the locals to go in there and operate? The practice of holding onto mines for speculative purposes has to come to an end. We are going to stop that. Our country needs money and we can't afford to be held to ransom because of a legal technicality."

Some mines in regions such as Matabeleland have stopped operating citing economic hardships to fund operations.

In 2015, close to 600 workers were fired by mining companies in the region.

Chitongo said their ultimate goal was to augment government efforts in empowering the youth, under the organisation's initiative, District Business Reserve Agenda, which is already providing equipment for small business start-ups in rural areas.

In 2012, Cabinet resolved to adopt a 25% youth quota in all economic activities, a move which has been stillborn after being hijacked and overtaken by gross political motives.