Zanu-PF leadership in wrangle over Matobo mine

A wrangle has emerged between senior leadership in Zanu-PF and a consortium of youths over control of Nugget Mine in Matobo.

The dispute involves Mining Investment Syndicate, comprising ousted Zanu-PF Bulawayo province chairman, Cde Isaac Dakamela, Matabeleland region secretary of the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board, and Mr Charles Isaiah Chiponda against a group of youths trading as Duive.

Duive is made up of a group of youths who benefited from the Government indigenisation and empowerment programme, and have alleged that the senior leaders are using their political muscle to evict them from the mine.

Both parties reportedly met at the mine on Tuesday.

They both maintained they are the rightful owners of the mine and have documents from the mining commissioner, which Chronicle is in possession of.

Cde Chiponda declined to comment on the issue referring questions to Cde Dakamela.

Cde Dakamela distanced himself from Tuesday's events and said they had invited the youths to work together but they have been reluctant.

He said they wanted to start working at the mine a year ago but they had been delayed by the youths.

"That mine is within the area of Matopo National Park and as a syndicate we have paid to the Environmental Management Agency and parks, which they have not done," said Cde Dakamela.

He said there was no way the youths could claim the mine was theirs as the Special Grant was given to one person at a time.

"It has taken us over a year now to start working at the mine because of them. We have the Special Grant, which they do not have and all we know they have is an application while we have all the papers and if they have the papers we could meet to come with the way forward."

The youths had taken the matter to the police but were reportedly advised to engage each other first.

One of the youths, Cde Stanley Siziba, said they had planned to meet at the mine with Mining Investment Syndicate but the meeting failed.

"We were supposed to meet there at the mine but they did not come, we will try and make arrangements so that we meet there and verify with all the documents we have. We have the licence to prospect, which they claim to have as well.

"What we want is clarification because we are the owners of the mine and we would not allow anyone to take that from us. The Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment, Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, and Dr Obert Mpofu, the Minister of Mines and Mining Development know about this," said Cde Siziba.

Documents dated 16 May 2012 written by the Mining Commissioner in Bulawayo, Mrs Lindiwe Florence Thusi, and addressed to the mining secretary, Mr F Mabhena, stated that Nugget Mine claim was cancelled in 2011 following concerns by the youths.

The documents state that Mining Investments applied for a Special Grant alleging the youths were no longer interested in the mine as they were working somewhere else.

The youths, however, according to the documents approached the same office in January and applied for the mine.

"Recently the Special Grant 5639 was issued to Special Investment Syndicate and the youths are not happy about this as they feel their project was sabotaged by senior party officials, considering that they are the ones who initiated the cancellation of Nugget Mine," reads part of the documents.

The documents further show that Duive Enterprises had paid $1 400 towards an application and registration of their Special Grant at Nugget Mine, the total to be paid being $10 000.