Artisanal and small scale miners fuelling gold smuggling: Parliament

Owen Kaura

Mines and Mining Development Parliamentary Portfolio Committee Chairperson Edmond Mkaratigwa has said investigations by Parliament show that small scale miners and artisanal miners are the main culprits in gold smuggling.

“Gold is being smuggled from artisanal and small scale miners through informal buyers working with strategic collaborators. This group of people must belong to an association,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe Miners Federation Chief Executive Officer Wellington Takavarasha said Government should formalise small scale and artisanal miners to plug leakages.

“Most African countries have formalized illegal mining that’s why Tanzania is one of the biggest gold producers because of the formalised artisanal miners.”

Zimbabwe is losing 100 kilogrammes of gold to smuggling every month, according to Government.

On Sunday, a 33-year-old Zimbabwean man, Tashinga Nyasha Masinire was arrested while smuggling gold worth R11 million into South Africa. He was granted R100 000 bail on Monday by a Kempton Park Regional Court, in Gauteng province.