Community members in Bubi Ward 12 have implored the government to recognise the role of traditional leaders in the pegging of mines and other mining processes as a way of managing some mining related conflicts.
Traditional leaders are generally regarded as the custodians of the land and natural resources in their respective areas. The Constitution of Zimbabwe stipulates that traditional leaders should take measures to preserve the culture, traditions, history and heritage of their communities.
Community members in Bubi Ward 12 who attended recently attended a public meeting convened by Habakkuk Trust attributed chaos in the mining sector to the side-lining of traditional leaders. The community expressed disgruntlement over the manner in which pegging of mines and issuance of mining licenses is done, citing that there is little or no consultation of the traditional leaders and the community is done ahead of the issuance of mining permits.
A participant at the meeting said, “When it comes to mining, our traditional leaders are not recognised or respected at all. They are not adequately informed or consulted whenever miners are given mining licenses and no meaningful benefit can be realised from our gold as long as the traditional leaders are not involved.”
Communities in areas endowed with natural resources such as gold have remained poor and struggling to access basic services. They rarely benefit from the exploitation of gold in their areas, instead they suffer the adverse impact of mining activities that happen in their locality.
At the meeting, community members proposed the involvement of Chiefs, headpersons and village heads in the exploitation of the minerals in their areas. Village head Makholisa Nkomo also proposed formulation of Ward Development Chapters that would enable communities to state the terms and conditions for the extraction of gold in their ward and ensure the also benefits from the resource.
Dumisani Ncube
