Silobela Community Demands Share Of Jena Mine
Villagers in Silobela are demanding that the redundant Jena Gold Mine claims be allocated to them as they are living in poverty while their area is endowed with gold deposits.
The Jena Mine claims were first pegged in 1979 before State-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) acquired them in 1984.
Despite being rich in gold deposits, the mine has been underperforming for over three decades.
A villager, Nqobizitha Nyoni, who lives near the mine, said there was a lot of poverty in the area despite gold deposits.
“We want to mine at the redundant mine claims. We followed the correct procedures, but up to now, nothing has materialised, and we recently learnt that a private company took over the mine last year. Our hopes of benefiting from the resources are fast fading away,” he said.
Silobela MP Mtokozisi Manoki Mpofu (Zanu PF) said on several occasions, he had engaged mine officials over mining claims so that some of them may be surrendered to locals.
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