By Nyasha Dube – Zvishavane and Mberengwa districts are known for their vast mineral wealth such as gold, chrome, platinum, emeralds to mention only a few.
Whilst artisanal and small scale mining activities are dominant, the areas are also home of giant mining companies which include Mimosa, Murowa Diamonds, Sabi Gold Mine as well as Chinese chrome smelters.
What is daring though about these two districts, especially the rural parts, is the further declining of living standards and the increasing levels of poverty, destruction of infrastructure and environmental degradation which has become an eyesore.
The impact of mining on the environment and human health, as well as unfairness in the distribution of income from mineral outputs hits the hardest at community level.
This leaves one wondering why most mining communities remain poor despite the mineral deposits at their disposal.
One female small scale chrome miner from Zvishavane, Namatirai Mpofu, says mining communities remain poor because there is lack of transparency and accountability in the utilisation of natural resources.
“We are facing many challenges in mining communities because there is no transparency. Government must be in a position to administer mineral resources from extraction to processing. This will improve our communities,” said Mpofu.
She added that gender imbalance is a major challenge in mining, and women as primary care givers lack equal access to opportunities.
“Men do not want to be overpowered by women. On top of that, as women we lack adequate resources and knowledge. In terms of the allocation of claims, we pack the technical expertise and hiring a geologist is very expensive. We end up losing everything to big corporates who are fully equipped,” she said.
Mpofu also cited other challenges such as limited access to loan facilities, lack of collateral, as well as being looked down upon by their male counterparts.
She further challenged government and other responsible stakeholders to invest more in communities with mineral deposits through developing infrastructure and empowering locals.
The issue of transparency and unfair distribution of wealth obtained from mineral deposits is affecting most mining communities, and instead of the minerals being a gift they end up feeling like a curse as the community members end up being exploited by outsiders and the minerals benefit only a few individuals at the expense of communities.
Take for instance the Chiadzwa community, the area is home of what is estimated to be the second biggest diamond reserves in Africa, worth billions, yet the villagers remain haunted by poverty on a daily basis.
This shows how mining relates to poverty if not managed well. Communities become victims instead of beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, community based organisations say communities are not informed on how they can legally benefit from resources at their disposal.
Hands of Hope Trust founder Millicent Nhutsve highlighted the need for local authorities to raise awareness on Natural Resource Management in communities.
She added that women are affected the most by poor allocation of resources.
“Women are victimised which in turn increases their vulnerability and poverty. There is need for policy makers to draft legal frameworks that protect women in mining communities from being bullied. Women should also be allowed easy access to loans even without collateral as most of them do not have assets,” said Nhutsve.
Women rights advocate Danny Nyamushamba shared the same sentiments as he said communities are not fully benefiting from mineral resources because of corruption and lack of transparency in the use of funds generated from mineral ores, and this burden weighs heavily on women as primary care givers.
“Local communities lack access to claims so they can legally mine at small scale. Everyone should be allocated claims fairly without stringent conditions. As long as everyone is economically active, communities will develop,” said Nyamushamba.
He also implored government through the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to relax the requirements needed for one to become a miner, and called for transparency in the allocation of development funds to local authorities, emphasising on the inclusion of women.
“Corporate mining companies should be closely monitored to ensure that they are giving back to communities and clear gender policies should also be drafted to ensure that women benefit from mineral resources. This will reduce poverty in mining communities,” he said.