Monday, April 07, 2014

Zimbabwe President Speaks on RBZ gold Monopoly
Republic of Zimbabwe President Robert G. Mugabe.
April 7, 2014
Walter Nyamukondiwa Chinhoyi Bureau
Zimbabwe Herald

President Mugabe has said Government is working towards re-establishing the monopoly of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe as the buyer of gold through Fidelity Printers to curb the haemorrhaging of the country’s mineral resources through smuggling. Addressing members of the Gushungo clan at Murombedzi Growth Point on Friday, the President said this was part of a raft of measures Government was putting in place to get maximum benefit from its natural resources.

He said Zimbabwe had a lot of mineral wealth and God had blinded colonial and imperial eyes to the vast mineral wealth, including diamonds, saying focus was currently on alluvial diamonds when there were kimberlite diamonds as well.

President Mugabe urged panners to be organised for them to be given proper facilities to smelt the gold and sell to Fidelity Printers.

“Tichikupaiwo zvakare nzira dzakanaka dzekuti kana madaro monoita smelt kupi, motengesa, taane monopoly takati we must return to what we were, monopoly yeFidelity, Reserve Bank ndiyo yotenga, but Reserve Bank should give a good price vanhu varege kusmuggler,” he said.

“This time tabva muchitsvuku kuviri ichi (inclusive Government) we are ourselves chete kuti zvichemo nezvichemo nzvimbo nenzvimbo tozviteerera. Kuti kuagriculture, manufacturing, mining tozviongorora. Tinoda kutsetsa . . . kutsetsa, tisimudzire nyika yedu chaizvo izvo. Ava vanofunga kuti nyaya yemasanctions avo vangarambe vakatidzvinyirira tivanyadzise.

“We have our own resources and Mwari akationa nekuti haana kuvapa maziso akakwana kuti vaongorore hupfumi hwatinahwo hwese. Vakaona hongu mumwe some iron, some gold. They didn’t see much by way of diamonds.”

President Mugabe said after independence, Zimbabwe got to know of the vast mineral wealth, especially diamonds and work was underway to organise the sector so that it becomes transparent and contributes significantly to Zimbabwe’s development. He said among a raft of other measures, Government would soon trim the number of diamond firms to two from seven.

“We have lots of diamonds, kimberlite. Iye zvino vanhu varikungotora madiamonds anonzi alluvial aye emujecha, but kimbelite chaiyo iyo yekuenda mumugodhi hatisati taita and ndoyakawanda munyika iyoyo. Ndozvatiri kuorganiser iye zvino kuti tichivamba zvakanaka.

“Takwatura vese . . . most of the mining companies takanga tine seven we will only leave about two. NaMinister (Walter) Chidhakwa (Mines and Mining Development) we have been going through kuti tione record yacho. The good doers ndovatinongosiya about two, ivavo neHurumende zvichionekwa pachena zvatirikuita, zvichitengeswa vanhu vachiona kuti ndozvirikuitwa izvi, ndomari yatiri kuwana iyi, ndomashandisirwo airikuitwa.”

President Mugabe said there were even better reserves of gold in the country, but those involved, especially the small-scale miners commonly known as makorokoza should be organised.

The President said maps from Anglo America and De Beers showed vast reserves of chrome, coal, iron, nickel, asbestos and copper.

He said Government was looking at mines that could be established within a short space of time and give yields before calling on banks to avail soft loans.

President Mugabe hailed efforts to uplift SMEs and their progressive development into bigger businesses.

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