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Joseph Madzimure Senior Reporter

THE Affirmative Action Group (AAG) is working closely with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to identify underutilised mining claims and give them to youths and women as a form of empowerment. 

The empowerment lobby group recently partnered Munyukwa Chibanda Mining Syndicate to empower youths in Mashonaland East by giving them a mining claim in Domboshawa. 

AAG president, Mr Mike Chimombe, said at a media conference in Harare yesterday they were going to provide the youths with mining equipment, while Munyukwa Chibanda had given them the mining claim. 

“We want to ensure all the mining claims given are put to good use in line with Vision 2030. 

“President Mnangagwa has told us that he expects big business, big projects from the youths of this country. The youths must not always think of poultry projects and gardening but if they are doing horticulture, let it be at a big scale so that we can export. 

“If you are doing poultry, let it be big business so that it will sustain itself,” said Mr Chimombe. 

He said the President had expressed his desire to see young people owning airlines and transforming from artisanal mining into mining conglomerates.” 

Speaking at the same occasion the empowerment lobby group’s vice president in charge of operations Mr Munyaradzi Kashambe said AAG was compiling names of mines which were lying idle to ensure locals benefited. 

“Most of the mineral claims have already been issued out to small scale miners and big miners. The problem that we are facing is that those with claims are not utilising them so we are in the process, together with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, of identifying such disused mines.

“The Government has use it or lose it policy. We are going to push the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to revoke the mining claims and issue them to women and youths,” said Mr Kashambe.

He urged mining companies to work within the confines of the laws of Zimbabwe adding that AAG would soon release names of mining companies who were not operating at full capacity. 

“We are going name and shame some mining companies who are sabotaging the Government by ceasing their operations or scaling down their operations.