GOVERNMENT will soon venture into riverbed mining to mine for gold so as to meet its growth targets in the sector.
Although it banned the practice in 2014 due to the massive land degradation mostly caused by artisanal miners, government says it will adopt riverbed mining technologies used in countries such as Namibia and South Africa.
Addressing delegates at the annual Mine Entra conference in Bulawayo last Wednesday, Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa said advancement in technology has made it possible for companies to exploit mineral along rivers.
“Until recently, exploitation of valuable minerals in rivers in Africa has not been commercially or technologically viable. The exercise has been carried out largely by artisanal miners with disastrous consequences on the environment, especially considering the sensitivity of river systems to disturbances.
“However, impressive riverbed mining technologies have been developed for a range of commodities, including diamonds and gold e.g. in Namibia and South Africa. As such technology has advanced and the demand for minerals has grown in recent years there has been a renewed interest in the mineral wealth of the riverbeds,” the minister said.
Chidhakwa also announced that government had operationalised riverbed mining through a new state controlled mining company.
“To harness this huge resource that would otherwise go unexploited, the Government took a decision to operationalise riverbed mining in Zimbabwe through a company under the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, the ‘Riverbed Mining Corporation’.
“This company will carry out sustainable mining activities in selected rivers, carry out de-siltation in all major rivers, carry out environmental rehabilitation through the ‘Rivers Rehabilitation Fund’ (RRF) and other associated activities. This should see us meeting our growth targets for the gold sector sooner than expected,” the minister said.
Chidakwa said government was pushing ahead with the consolidation of diamond mining companies operating in the country, despite spirited campaigns from the companies for government to reverse its decision.
“We will not take a step back on the issue of consolidation. There are other companies who are campaigning against the issue but I want to tell them that we will not back-track and we have prepared a model on how we could handle it,” he said.
The seven companies in Marange diamond fields, Mbada diamonds, Anjin, Marange Resources, Gye Nyame, Kusena, Jinan and Diamond Mining Company will be morphed into the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company.
Photo credit: source.co.zw
