ZIMBABWE Miners Federation (ZMF), the representative body of small-scale miners, says it is pushing for a licence to import fuel for onward distribution to its members to ensure continuity of production in the sector.
BY FIDELITY MHLANGA
ZMF president Henrietta Rushwaya said small-scale miners have been hard hit by the ongoing shortage of fuel.
“We are engaging government to give us the licence to import fuel so that we deliver fuel to our miners. We are saying government should give ZMF a license to import fuel,” she said.
“It is better for us to import fuel in and sell it in forex to our miners. We are saying the fuel situation is affecting us badly. This year, because of the bad weather, we must focus much on mining. Our machinery requires diesel. We cannot work without fuel; it is difficult”.
In 2018, gold deliveries to Fidelity Printers and Refiners (FPR), the country’s sole licenced buyer of gold, hit a record 33,2 tonnes, up from 24,8 tonnes in the previous year, mainly driven by output from small-scale miners.
Small-scale miners contributed 21,7 tonnes, while primary producers accounted for the remaining 11, 5 tonnes.
Small-scale miners get paid 70% in forex, while the balance is paid via bank transfers.
