The Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines and a federation of small-scale miners have called on the government to
institute immediate intervention mechanisms to stop the collapse of the sector amid revelations that the country managed to produce a paltry 0,5 t of gold in August.
The chamber’s CEO, Douglas Verden, says that the decline experienced in August was the worst in years, adding that the chamber has also revised the production estimate for 2007 from 8 t to 6 t.
“We had forecast an output of 8 t, but the latest figures indicate that production is going down rapidly. At the moment,30 ton rock crusher equipment price in india we are forecasting that the country will produce just 6 t. “However, [the figure could be lower] if the problems affecting the sector are not addressed,” says Verden.
Producers have blamed the declining production on shortages of foreign currency to import spares and consum-abrutile sand manufacturers in south africales like cyanide, a key gold production input that has largely vanished from the formal market but has emerged at grossly inflated parallel market prices.
Verden also notes that most gold-miners have not been paid by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) – the legal buyer of gold in Zimbabwe &nsand washer equipment in europe for sledash; for the past four months.
“Miners are not receiving any foreign currency. As a result, mines are unable to import critical operational
inputs like cyanide,” Verden adds.
He says that the mines, and the rest of economy, are facing serious power shortages.
Small-scale gold-miners under the banner of the Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation (ZMF) attribute the decline in production partly to the closure of their operations during a three-month crackdown on illegal dealers early this year.
ZMF secretary-general Daniel Gurure tells Mining Weekly that the decline can also be traced to the inactivity of most small-scale miners, who are still struggling to reregister and resume operations.
“We are underfunded and barely recognised as producers. All this is because a lot of policymakers view us as saboteurs who strangle the economy by smuggling minerals outside the country.
“The authorities have pre- occupied themselves with closing down illegal operators, which is good. However, we feel that gold production would improve if the same attention and support is given to those who are complying with the law,” says Gurure.
RBZ Communications officer Kumbirai Nhongo declined to comment on the bank’s failure to pay gold producers since March. He referred all questions to RBZ governor Gideon Gono, who was not available for comment.