Miners challenge Government to restore land to its productive state (31-08-07)

he mine closure plan, which includes the rehabilitation of the land.
“Mine closure would require the miner to start putting aside money to rehabilitate the mine after closure.
“The money can be in the form of bonds granted by the Government and is reviewed annually to ensure that the cost of rehabilitation will be met by the miner rather than through public funding,” he said.
The law has to be put in place as a matter of urgency as ghost towns and former mines were now a threat to the environment.
“After a mine is closed, there are a lot of unprotected holes and chemicals that are a threat to human beings.
“We have received several incidents were people used water from a disused mine and died and also reports of small-scale miners trying to work from the defunct mines because the land there was not stable they were buried in,” he said.
Kahwai said rehabilitation was a practice that also created employment for former mine workers.
“Mines can be rehabilitated into theme parks and employment can be generated by involving the community by retraining them to practice environment monitoring and also be part of the building process,” he said.
He said in Zimbabwe, only a few mining companies had rehabilitated their mines.
“Only big international companies like Rio Tinto, Empress and AngloAmerican and Epoch have ensured that their mines are rehabilitated as part of their corporate responsibility,” he said.
He urged miners to start rehabilitating their mines even before the law was put in place.
“Mining is a temporary use of land and therefore mines should actively consider environmental and rehabilitation outcome,” he said.
 
*****
THE Zimbabwe dollar that briefly weakened last week to its mid-June levels of $210 000 to the U S dollar on the parallel market due to the resumption of duty by oil companies, has firmed again to levels of around $180 000.
This is because of low demand due to the significant decline in fuel imports by fuel companies pending the outcome of a crucial meeting between the Zimbabwe Petroleum Marketers Association and the Cabinet Taskforce of Price Monitoring and Stabilisation aimed at negotiating the issues of the fuel coupon ban and fuel prices.
A fortnight ago the Taskforce announced that it would ban fuel coupons in two weeks counting from 18th July 2007. 
This means that the deadline was reached on 31 July 2007 and no new coupon should be issued. 
Fuel companies say the proposed new fuel price of $120 000 per litre from the current $60 000 is not viable given that they are buying the foreign exchange on the parallel market to import the fuel at rates of over $200 000.