Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr Wellington Takavarasha has revealed that women are being blocked by culture from venturing into the mining sector during the National Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue Meeting on Meeting Investment in Harare on Friday.
The CEO was presenting on Key developments in the mining sector, policy, investments and ASM sector during the meeting, which also touched on Ease of Doing Business Reforms and the Amnesty on Expatriated Minerals and Assets.
“Culture in Zimbabwe has made it difficult for women,” said Tavarasha. “When we went to a place with the Minister of Mines to Manicaland, a chief denied women to venture into the mining sector.”
Women who were supposed to get mining writs were not given licenses as the chief is said to have said that mining is not for women.
Besides women being blocked from the mining sector, there has been a complaint that a bank that is meant to help women grow is taking long to operate. The bank was licensed last year but it has not yet started operating.
Director in the Women Affairs, Tecla Madziva The government and its partners have a role to promote a conducive environment in linkage development.
“There is need to have a political and economically stable environment, robust educational systems where there is multi-skilled and agile workforce, good infrastructure in terms of access, effective p[olicies to encourage foreign investment and local supplier linkage and networking,” Madziva said.
“My Ministry is mainstreaming women in the main economic sectors such as mining, agriculture, tourism and manufacturing,” Madziva continued.
Amongst the 1.5 million Zimbabweans that are doing artisanal mining in Zimbabwe only 230 thousand women are miners.
Statistics also show that 57% of small business are women-owned and 14% of Micro Small Medium Entreprises are owned by women.