By Patience Rashai

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has assured small scale miners that Government will tackle challenges bedevilling the sector in order to ensure that the country realise its bullion market vision.

Officiating at the two-day Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) conference in Gweru, this Wednesday, the President said that efforts were underway to ensure that the mining sector rebounds, with efforts channelled towards aligning artisanal and small scale miners to the mainstream economy.

 “Government will aid in coming up with a pricing regime to guide small scale miners to void losing revenue to agents who I am told fleece unsuspecting miners,” he said.

“We will also look into provision of the much needed capital for purchasing capital goods, involvement of more women in the sector.”

As a response to the challenge on decriminalisation of gold possession, Government also assured to look into Section 3 of the Gold Trade Act, as miners requested the decriminalisation of gold possession as well as the gold retention system which they lamented to be currently affecting gold production.

The conference is also aimed at revolutionising the artisanal and small scale mining sector through formalisation, as well as provide new perspectives on main issues and concerns affecting the artisanal and small mining sector.

 “Government acknowledges that artisanal and small scale miners have for long been disenfranchised due to stigmatisation of their operations, hence the need to align them in the mainstream economy,” added ZMF president, Henrietta Rushwaya.

Artisanal miners have been major contributors to the country’s total gold output yearly, though their operations have for long been viewed as informal.

According to Fidelity Printers and Refiners, the sector contributed at least 65% to the total output last year, with artisanal miners producing 22 tonnes out of the total 34 tonnes produced.

Most of the attending delegates were small scale, who thronged the 5000 seater Convention Center in Gweru.