The Zimbabwe Miners Federation president, Trinos Nkomo, said an average gold claim in the country had between 200 and 300 blocks, each measuring 10 hectares. Such concessions were in former white owned farms. He said the owners of these claims continued to withhold them, despite the governments announcement that US$100 per hectare annually would be levied on all unproductive mines.
In his 2010 national budget presentation, Finance Minister Tendai Biti proposed the introduction of a system of escalating fees to be levied on holders of mining claims and of Exclusive Prospective Orders (EPOs). It was based on the hectares covered by the licence which were expected to give an incentive for exploration work. It was also expected to deter holding onto land for speculative purposes.
Nkomo said the introduction of such fees to be levied on holders of mining claims and EPOs was tantamount to crippling mining operations. As ZMF, we are saying these fees are just too much for the emerging indigenous miners most of them have been into mining for less than 15 years. However, these fees to white miners who have been in mining for between 30 and 40 years and have been withholding some of these claims is just nothing, he said.
Post published in: Economy