Govt secures funding for small scale miners

Published: 01 April 2014

Government has secured funding to help small-scale miners acquire equipment that will increase gold produced.

Minister of Mines and Mining Development Walter Chidhakwa told members of the senate last week Government was aware of problems faced by small scale miners.

"We know that our people in small scale mining do not have equipment. We said we wanted equipment that will assist them in bringing up half a tonne from the ground. If we do that we have multiplied the production of ore fourfold."

"What we have now are lines to credit or money that is coming from three institutions that we are expecting in the next month or two. We hope that by then we will have completed the signing process," he said.

Minister Chidhakwa said most small scale miners were getting only 30 percent of their gold after it went through the stamp mills since they used buckets to bring their produce to the ground.

He said the ministry had invited companies involved in stamp milling with the view to bringing in more mills so that there is competition. This would ensure that miners got good service.

He added that government had already made an assessment of the equipment that is needed for miners to produce more.

"So if they blast underground, we need equipment that will remove the gases from the ground up to the point whereby they bring the ore to the ground and also take it to the stamp mills for it to be milled and sifted to get the gold. We did that process and we finished," he said.

He said government was also setting up service centres across the country where fidelity Printers will buy all gold produced.
- BH24