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About 600 of Zambian small scale miners have lost their mines due to non-payment of area charges, a situation which has saddened their association.
This situation has therefore prompted their association, Federation of Small-Scale Miners Association of Zambia (FSSMAZ), to request for more time from the government for miners to settle the outstanding arrears.
FSSMAZ president Joseph Mwansa explained that these miners were unable to pay area charges to the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development due to situations arising from the Covid-19 pandemic and lack of production and business.
“We would like to ask the Government to give us a grace period of which we can settle the outstanding area charges. Our members need more time to mobilise the resources,” Mwansa pleaded in an interview in Lusaka Thursday.
Currently, he emphasised, about 600 small scale miners had lost their mining operations due to the non- payment of the area charges to Government.
“Now looking at the investments our members, the small scale miners have put into their mining operations only for their license to be revoked due to non-payment of area charges…it is very sad and painful,” Mwansa said.
Read more: A glance into the 2022 National Mineral Resources Development Policy by Sydney Mwamba https://www.zambiamonitor.com/a-glance-into-the-2022-national-mineral-resources-development-policy-by-sydney-mwamba-acting-policy-monitoring-and-research-cantre-executive-director/
He said at this point the Government should consider giving the miners a grace period to settle their arrears as well as mobilise resources to sustain the mines.
On the 90-days amnesty for illegal miners to legalise operations, Mwansa said this was good development but there were some issues that should be seriously analysed, reviewed, modified and changed for this important move to meet its injective.
“As long as the old structural and procedural processes remain unchanged such as the ZEMA requirement, illegal mining stands as a monumental challenge. The current policy is the major problem as it is prohibitively exorbitant for the locals to afford,” he said.
Artisanal and Small Scale Miners
He said for example, the mandatory requirements for an external consultant cost between K15, 000 to K30, 000 depending on the person hired.
Further, a charge has to be paid for the safety department to inspect a mine. In addition, the council demands for booked transport.
“Most illegal miners cannot afford the estimated required minimum amount of between K40, 000 to K50, 000. There is also pegging certificate which the miner is required to pay. I think the Minister needs more time for research and consultations to come up with good and easy process of acquiring a mining license especially for the artisanal and small scale miners.
“As things stand, it will be difficult to end the practice of illegal mining due to lengthy, costly, tough and hard process of getting the mining license. Not everyone has the money to pay all the fees,” Mwansa said.
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