The 14th edition of the Zimbabwe Alternative Mining Indaba (ZAMI) kicked off in Bulawayo on Tuesday, with participants urging government and industry players to embrace mining initiatives that place people and communities at the centre of resource exploitation.
Zimbabwe is endowed with vast mineral wealth, including platinum-group metals (PGMs), chrome, lithium, gold, coal, diamonds, nickel, copper, black granite, and asbestos, alongside potential resources such as iron ore, tungsten, and semi-precious stones. Yet, despite this vast mineral basket, the majority of Zimbabweans continue to face economic hardship.
The Borgen Project estimates that 60% of the population lives on less than US$3.65 a day, making Zimbabwe one of the poorest countries in the SADC region. Rural communities, home to about 67% of the population, remain most vulnerable to food insecurity, drought, and economic shocks. Meanwhile, the health sector continues to struggle, with 87% of Zimbabweans lacking medical aid coverage and persistent shortages of medicines, staff, and resources worsened by an ongoing brain drain.
Speaking at the event, Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) Secretary General Wilfred Dimingu described mining in the country as a story of plunder rather than stewardship.
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"In Zimbabwe, we have witnessed rivers polluted, communities displaced, and workers exploited in the name of short-term gains. This is not stewardship. It is idolatry, worshipping mammon over the Creator. Theologically, we are called to a different path," he said.
Dimingu stressed that sustainable development must be rooted in justice and fairness.
"This means harnessing Zimbabwe's minerals, particularly those critical for renewable energy and battery technologies, not through voracious extraction that scars the land and sidelines the poor, but through operations that ensure equity and sustainability," he added.
Zandile Mvududu, a project officer at Silveira House, emphasised the need for collaboration in shaping the extractive sector's future.
"Stakeholders must continue to dialogue, hinging on the faith-based approach which we encourage in the districts we work in. The coming Mines and Minerals Bill presents an opportunity for communities to give input and resolve legacy issues in the sector," she said.
Professor Tumai Murombo, a legal and environmental expert from the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), echoed calls for reform, urging a total overhaul of Zimbabwe's minerals governance and environmental management framework.
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