By Evans Mushawevato and Emergencey Mwale-Kamtande
NOT very long ago, driving along our highways, thatched little huts, zinc roofed tiny houses were all our eyes could experience but not anymore.
With the successful Land Reform and Resettlement Programme and opening up of the mining sector to indigenes, all that has changed.
Today, in these rural areas, where little huts with sagging roofs stood, one’s eyes are feasting on mansions straight out of the finest low density suburbs one can think of.
Farming and artisanal mining has transformed lives.
Already, artisanal miners are producing more gold than the traditional big players.
And the country’s youths are among the beneficiaries and leading in the development agenda.
The opening up of the mining sector to blacks is paying dividends.
This is the story of two brothers from humble beginnings.
Lovemore and Isiah Sariva have defied the odds after embracing empowerment programmes availed by the new dispensation ushered in by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
“We are into mining and most grateful to the Government for allowing us to operate and contribute to the development of our nation,” said small-scale miner Lovemore Sariva.
Lovemore is a new breed of miner with an increased awareness not just of the mining sector but the broader economic sphere.
“Minerals are not an infinite resource, as we mine they are running out so it is important that we do not just blow cash as we earn it but also start to diversify into other sectors,” said Lovemore.
The young miner has ventured into real estate while his brother Isaiah is into engineering, manufacturing various steel products.
“Our Government has made every effort to empower us and failure on our part is on us as we have been given every advantage to succeed,” said Isiah.
“Diversification is key to growth and Dubai is a very good example from which to take notes.
“On realising that one day it will not have oil to trade, Dubai has turned itself into an international business hub and tourism mecca.”
With development oriented youngsters like the Sariva brothers, once densely forested mountains and roads edged with derelict, tiny huts, now boast state-of-the-art homes.
“We are investing and building in the areas we are operating because tisu vene venyika. We are not going anywhere after our operations, thus all this development people are witnessing,” said Isiah.
“Gone are the days of the reckless ‘makorokoza’, a majority of us now operate within the confines of the law and are prudent with our earnings.”
Lovemore said they are doing their best to improve infrastructure in their areas of operations and in the process creating employment.
“We might be operating in rugged terrain and rocky tracks and dirt roads, but steadily we are improving the infrastructure in our areas of operation,” said Lovemore.
“Safety measures at mining sites are now common and gone are rudimentary homemade tools as we now use the latest technologies in our small-scale operations.”
It is a lie, said Lovemore, that climate change and poverty are pushing more and more people into the ‘dangerous’ work of artisanal mining.
“We are into mining because we are interested and ready to do the hard work that prospecting for minerals entails,” said Lovemore.
“There are organisations that would want to paint a picture of us as a desperate people but that is not the truth.
“White people who have gone into mining have never been depicted as desperate people and so why should we.
“It is not only about the US dollar; we are passionate about mining and our Government has given us the opportunity to be involved in the industry.”
According to Lovemore: “Stereotypes have been employed to make sense of the world around us but the problem, of course, is that stereotypes aren’t always accurate. Small-scale miners are not ‘makorokoza’ but operators who will soon develop into large scale operators.
“There are people who believe that the typical artisanal gold miner is a single, migratory man in his early 20s, who has no education, gambles away his money or spends it on prostitutes.”
Zimbabwe has long been known for its rich gold deposits.
The National Geological Survey estimates that local gold mining started in the country in the 7th Century, and that of more than 4 000 present-day gold deposits, almost all are ‘located on ancient workings’.
But after colonisation, indigenes were muscled out of the mining sector which became a domain of the white minority and foreign companies.
However, in an independent Zimbabwe, opportunities have been available to the black majority to be involved in the sector not just as employees but owners as well.
Artisanal and small-scale mining operations have created employment for many young people in the country.
Isaiah said besides mining, he had seen it fit to venture into metal fabrication and fence making to increase the number of youths they are employing.
“Not everyone wants to be a miner and it is always good to divest and have numerous revenue streams,” he said.
“For example, due to warnings about the potential danger posed by Cyclone Freddy, miners were advised to cease operations.
“In such times, we need alternative sources of income to stay afloat and take care of bills that need to be paid regardless of work stoppages.
“We manufacture numerous metal products such as gates, steel frames and fences.”
The story of the Sariva brothers must be an inspiration to Zimbabweans, particularly the youth.
They are in their 30s, and have shown that with sheer determination, nothing is impossible.