MARTIN MAWAYA
GWERU-Miners and farmers have been urged to form partnerships and share the natural resources without being embroiled in conflicts as they are all key players in the economic development of the country.
This was said by the Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development, Vangelis Peter Haritotis, in a speech read on his behalf by Midlands provincial director in in his Ministry, Mediline Magwenzi.
He was speaking at the inaugural Midlands Miners, Farmers Investors Conference held in Gweru on Wednesday last week.
Haritatos said there are a lot of land wrangles between farmers and miners, hence the need to co- exist with one another for the benefit of all parties.
“The two sectors need to co-exist in harmony. Farmers and miners should take advantage of the Mines and Mining Amendment Bill and make contributions that benefit them.
“They can easily co-exist to the extent of forming partnerships to share the natural resources without even engaging in conflicts and taking each other to court. It is prudent that miners and farmers work together as they are all important players in the development of the economy,” said Haritotis.
He said the Mines Parliamentary portfolio committee has already started public hearings to get inputs from stakeholders on the Mines and Mining Amendment Bill.
The Deputy Minister added that the Bill seeks to harmonize perennial disputes between farmers and miners by providing conflict resolution mechanisms.
Midlands Miners Forum (MMF) leader, Edgar Benjamin said farmers and miners need to collaborate and find a lasting solution to land use disputes.
He said the conference which was held under the theme ‘Shifting the Mindset and Responsible Mining: Farmers, Miners and Investors Moving Towards Attainment of Vision 2030’ aimed to unite miners and farmers.
The conference comes at a time when the two largest industries in the country are always on each other’s throats which sometimes has resulted in loss of human lives and livestock.
Benjamin, said the forum wanted “to make sure that it creates a platform where all of the illegal mining activities can be legally recognized as well as formally registered with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and have legal documentations.
“The majority of the mining activities in the Province are being done through artisanal mining which has often been associated with limited equipment, skills and funding.
“We have seen a lot of conflicts over ownership of different claims which sometimes slows down production at most mines,” he said.
