By Own Correspondent

THE Zimbabwe Artisanal Miners’ Association (ZAMA) has tabled an aggressive formalization program targeting all the artisanal players as part of efforts to maximize profits while easing the burden of work related injuries and fatalities.

Artisanal mining in Zimbabwe is a thorn in the flesh of mining operations which is largely blamed for accelerated environmental degradation and violation of socio-cultural systems.  A 2022 Center for Natural Resource Governance report on illicit financial flows in the artisanal mining sector estimated as much as $1.9 billion is lost annually due to leakages. 

On their part, artisanal miners have since cried foul over ill treatment, stigma and underpayments for the minerals by gold buyers in the shadowy economy.

ZAMA national coordinator, Elias Masuku said the formalization program will solve all the problems around artisanal mining once and for all.

“We are currently rolling out a formalization exercise which is driven by the motive of regularizing every mining workspace across Zimbabwe. We are also pushing for the availability of workspaces through negotiations with people who have idle claims for them to cede. Such initiatives will go a long way to create opportunities for those willing to venture into mining,” he said.

Masuku said the association is offering legal services to support small scale miners who often face the risk of harassment from the sector’s big players who enjoy a firmer financial muscle. This, he said, is over and above other benefits like housing schemes which will soon be tabled.

“We have since begun work in places like Mberengwa. We are going to have a project in Buluwewe and other places as we drive the agenda of formalizing, capitalizing and capacitating the artisanal miner. Formalisation will benefit the miners and all the stakeholders in the value chain and is now long overdue,” added Masuku.