Glen View North MP Fani Munengami last week revealed Justice and Legal Affairs minister Patrick Chinamasa and Shabanie Mashaba Mines (SMM) administrator, Afaras Gwaradzimba never set foot at the comatose asbestos mines, despite claims they were allegedly concerned with the mines’ reconstruction process.
Munengami, a member of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy, said it was surprising the two pretended to be concerned about the plight of the mine and its workers when they had never physically visited the affected mines to gain first-hand information on workers’ welfare.
He made the remarks while seconding debate on a motion on a report presented by committee chairperson Edward Chindori-Chininga on the state of affairs at the embattled Mutumwa Mawere-owned SMM.
“During the committee’s investigations, we discovered that Chinamasa last visited the mines in 2004 during the take-over and hand-over of the mines,” said Munengami.
“Gwaradzimba last visited the mines in 2006 during a capacity building workshop,” he said.
Munengami said it was surprising people who were supposed to be driving the reconstruction of the mines were actually detached from events happening on the ground.
But Gwaradzimba is on record as saying: “I do not need to physically go there in order to seek solutions to those problems. Everybody else, including the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee knows that the problems at SMM have to do with funding.
I do not need to go to the mines to look for funding. If they want me there, then there should be something wrong with them.”
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Munengami said at their peak, the two asbestos mines employed 4 000 workers and another 6 000 people benefited directly or indirectly from the mine.
“Two Zvishavane towns were also highly dependent on the mines and a lot of people have resorted to illicit activities like prostitution, use of illegal drugs and unlawfully panning for minerals to make a living,” Munengami told Parliament.
