2A RECORD 6 000 people, mostly artisanal miners, thronged the Zanu PF Winery Convention Centre in Gweru for the Miners Forum for Economic Development (Miners4ED) interface with President Mnangagwa.
In their quest to catch a glimpse of the President addressing the multitudes, some had to sit by the staircases leading to the first floor of the conference centre while others were forced to stand at the back of the facility.
The unlucky ones had to follow proceedings from outside where a projector had been set up.
Located some 13 kilometres east of Gweru along Gweru- Mvuma road, one would be forgiven to think he or she is at the Great Zimbabwe Monuments.
The Convention Centre was constructed in preparation for the Zanu- PF Conference in 2012.
It was a captivating scene as the artisanal miners came in buses and trucks. Others arrived at the venue in the all-too familiar Honda Fit, Wish, Mark X vehicles synonymous with most artisanal miners.
What caught one’s eyes were red soils on some vehicles, a clear indication that they were coming from gold rich areas such as Shurugwi or Mberengwa among other places.
The artisanal miners were at the conference for an interface meeting with President Mnangagwa which ran under the theme, “Embracing economic inclusion in the mining sector towards attaining Vision 2030.”
They started arriving at the venue as early as 9 AM and by 11 AM, the conference hall was filled to capacity.
The artisanal miners came dressed in overalls, work suits and helmets while some were in Zanu- PF party regalia.
There were also Zanu- PF affiliates which includedYoung Women 4 ED, Truck drivers 4 ED, SMEs 4 ED, Single mothers 4 ED, Cross borders 4 ED, Vendors 4 ED, AAG and the hosts Miners 4 ED.
First to arrive at the venue was Zanu- PF Second Secretary Cde Kembo Mohadi followed by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.
PresidentMnangagwa arrived at 11.30am and as he made his way to the podium, the popular Jah Prayzar song “Kutonga Kwaro” belted out from the speakers sending the crowd into frenzy.
The beaming smile on his face, as he waved to the crowd, spoke volumes about a leader who is walking the talk.
Before taking his seat, President Mnangagwa treated the affiliates and guests to his signature dance to the Kutonga Kwaro song.
In his keynote address, President Mnangagwa who was clearly in an effervescent mood, left the crowd in stitches when he said, “Chinhu chino chinogara 6 000 vanhu, saka kuma mine hakuna vanhu nokuti muri muno. Muchawana kwapindiwa imi. (This hall can accommodate 6 000 people, so there is no one manning your mines. You will find some people illegally mining).
The President who was in Angola to attend the African Union Quadripartite Summit of the East African Community (EAC), Economic Community of Central African States, International Conference of the Great Lakes Region CCLR) and Southern African Development Community (SADC), said he could not wait for the interface with the miners. He said the artisanal miners are contributing 60 percent of the foreign currency earned from the mining sector.
“How could I miss this invitation from you, the miners? You are playing a very important role in the development of the country. When the Second Republic came to power, the mining sector was contributing $2,8 billion to the economy but now its $12 billion. Of this, artisanal miners are contributing 60 percent of the revenue,” he said.
Miners, the President said, are at the centre of building the country.
“God endowed this country with vast minerals. If we don’t have the knowledge of extracting our minerals, let’s wait until we acquire the knowledge to exploit them.
Miners 4 EDexecutive member Mr Rodrick Mumbire said the Second Republic had opened avenues for artisanal miners to develop themselves, their communities and the country at large.
“Besides contributing to the economic development of the country, our lives as artisanal miners are also changing. You saw the vehicles parked outside, they belong to our members and we are praying for more opportunities so that we continue working for the development of the country,” he said. –The Chronicle
