Zimbabwe Parliament says illicit mineral leaks could plunge the country into turmoil

Zimbabwe’s Parliamentary Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services says it is everyone’s responsibility to guard the country’s mineral wealth because illicit mineral leaks could plunge the country into economic, social and political turmoil.

In its report on illicit trading and mineral leakages, the committee said that when the economy bleeds, political mischief and social unrest become imminent thereby threatening national security.  

“Safeguarding minerals is not for law enforcement agencies alone; rather, it is everyone’s responsibility. State institutions, private entities, civil society organisations and the general public have the responsibility to jealously guard the country’s mineral wealth,” the committee said. 

“A whole-of-society approach on plugging mineral leakages is critical now than ever before in order to promote sustainable development, peace and security.”
Below is the report by the committee:

REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE, HOME AFFAIRS AND SECURITY SERVICES ON THE SECURITY OF MINERALS, ILLICIT TRADING AND MINERAL LEAKAGES

HON. BRID. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Report of the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services on the security of minerals: Illicit trading in minerals and mineral leakages.

HON. NGULUVHE:  I second

HON. BRID. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: Mr. Speaker Sir,

1.0 Introduction 

Zimbabwe is endowed with over forty different types of minerals and the mining sector has become the anchor of the economy. According to the National Development Strategy One (2021 to 2025), the mining sector accounts for sixty percent of the country’s export revenues.  However, the mining industry has been experiencing mineral leakages thereby negatively affecting the sector’s potential contribution to the socio-economic transformation of the country. In 2021, there was an attempt to smuggle gold through the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (RGM). In the same year, a Zimbabwean gold smuggler was apprehended at O.R Tambo International Airport in South Africa. Such acts of mischief potentially create disquiet and discontentment amongst the citizens of this country. Indeed, illicit trading in the extractive industry, is crippling the country’s economy, creating anarchy in communities and has the potential of bringing untold suffering to ordinary citizens and may threaten national security. It is against this background that the Committee undertook an inquiry into the security of minerals in order to establish the possible causes of mineral leakages in the country and recommend ways of curbing them.

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