HON. KAMBAMURA: If there is a particular place where that is happening, may the Hon. Senator please put it in writing so that we investigate what is happening because the Constitution does not allow that.
I will explain briefly what the Constitution says in terms of minerals exploration. It states that if you have less than 100 hectares of land, nobody is allowed to come and peg at your field without permission from you. But if you have more than 100 hectares of land, someone is allowed to come and peg as long as they do not peg on cultivated land. In addition, they are not allowed to come and start mining close to houses. They are supposed to mine at least 400 metres away from the homesteads.
As you are aware, the Constitution was crafted around 1961 before independence. As we speak, we are now busy working on this law to be amended. It has since gone for outreach and the draft has been submitted to Cabinet and it is within that Committee. There are some things that need to be realigned in order for the law to conform to the current needs. In 2018 when we had the Land Reform Programme, this law was not aligned to such occurrences.
HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Minister, what you are saying is not what your workers do. What you are saying and what is transpiring on the ground is not the same. Last week under Sabhuku Tete in my homestead, there was exploration and digging and that person had documentation. You need to work with your officers to ensure that what you are saying happens on the ground.
HON. KAMBAMURA: I agree that there are some officers who may transgress against the Constitution. We need to reach out to people in provinces and meet the local leadership as well as the Ministry of Agriculture officials so that we settle this issue before the law is aligned.
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