Matobo stakeholders have called for the masterplan being drafted for Matobo District to ensure that the natural resources in the area benefits the locals.
Speaking at a meeting recently held in Maphisa, land governance specialist Dr Kudzai Chatiza highlighted that the masterplan covers the whole district excluding parks and went on to explain what a masterplan is.
“It is a vision of how we want to use our land, what uses we want to put it to and the services that we need so that we can make the best use of our land” he said.
The participants expressed the desire to see the people benefitting from the minerals extracted in the district.
“We looked at Maphisa as a mining site as well as other areas, that Matobo is producing gold but the district is not benefiting much on all the resources being extracted, so we would want mining to be legally enforced so that everyone can benefit,” highlighted one of the participants.
Mining is one of the economic activities in the district, with gold being the main mineral extracted by both registered mining companies and artisanal miners.
The major mining companies operational in the area are Inyamazane Gold and Navada 24 CIP plants as documented by Matobo Rural District Council.
The council has also highlighted that there are challenges in the sector, such as the lack of equipment for small scale miners to increase production and develop their mines.
Poor road networks also make the transportation of the ore difficult and these are believed to have contributed to poor “turnout by miners in honouring their legal obligation towards the local authority”
The Planning technician for Matobo District, Mr Brighton Sibanda added that the masterplan document compilation was to be completed in the first 6 months of 2024.
