JUST off the road that gets into Bindura Central Business District is a path that leads to a place known as Kitsiyatota.
It is a rich piece of land where young, middle-aged and old women as well as youths are realising their dreams.
It was a piece of land formerly closed to them by the so-called ‘big sharks’ and now disgraced party members.
But First Lady and Secretary of ZANU PF’s Women’s League, Amai Dr Grace Mugabe, dubbed the Mother of the Nation and Revelations at the ZANU PF 6th National People’s Congress promised; during her visit to Bindura during her Meet the People Tours, that the rich piece of land would be opened to them.
And true to her word, it has.
While a picture has been painted of a place and minerals recently discovered, foreigners popularly known as ‘Majerimani’ (Germans) mined gold at the place for many years before the Land Reform Programme and probably before the Second World War as evidenced by huge gaping holes.
Old mining equipment can be seen around as well as tunnels with tracks that shipped out the gold that ended up in Western metropoli.
Locals only had access to the place after the Land Reform Programme.
According to one of the leaders ensuring that order prevails at Kitsiyatota, Veronica Mukombe, efforts by the women and youths to get a bite of the cherry were being frustrated by corrupt party officials who have since fallen by the wayside.
“It took the intervention of Higher and Tertiary Education Minister, Oppah Muchinguri and the First Lady and ZANU PF’s Secretary of Women Affairs Dr Grace Mugabe for us to be able to carry out mining operations here (Kitsiyatota),” said Mukombe.
She paid credit to President Mugabe’s empowerment agenda that has enabled the black majority to venture into arenas that were a preserve of the white minority and later the rich.
President Robert Mugabe is on record calling on the masses not to shy away from the so-called big businesses such as mining.
The First Family, when it comes to empowerment and showing that indigenes are capable of undertaking serious business operations, has led from the front.
The family runs successful farming and dairy projects that have been built with loans secured from local financial institutions.
“It is only in Zimbabwe that you can find ordinary women like us who previously had nothing ,venturing successfully into mining and it is because of the stance that President Mugabe has taken,” said Mukombe.
“And we are elated that Dr Grace Mugabe has also put on top of her agenda economic empowerment of the masses especially the women and youths who form the backbone of the family.”
The successful exploration and mining of gold by the women and youths augurs well with the aspirations of Government and the revolutionary ZANU PF party which emerged from its congress stronger and even more determined to emancipate the people from all forms of oppression especially poverty.
Mukombe and the other leadership has ensured that the miners are not only from the province, but also from elsewhere.
“We have groups that have come from as far as Bulawayo and Gwanda, Amai (Dr Grace Mugabe), has made it clear that national resources must benefit everyone in the country and that is what we have ensured, anyone willing to work has been accommodated,” she said.
She, however, appealed for increased Government support.
“As can be evidenced on the ground Zimbabweans will not be stopped by challenges or continue to mourn, but make do with what is available,” she said.
“But we could really use machinery, because at the moment we are using very basic implements and makeshift accommodation.
“There is also need for a perimeter fence to ensure that security is more efficient and order prevail.”
A fence, she said, would ensure that there was a single entry point that increased accountability.
“With a single entry point we will be in a position to keep proper records of who comes in and goes out,” Mukombe said.
“We want to ensure that the precious mineral ends up at Fidelity Printers.
“It is a lie peddled by our detractors that there is lawlessness here, operations are being conducted in an orderly way with no incidences of violence or intimidation.”