MARA Regional Mining Officer, Sementa Haruna, has advised small scale miners who have been offered mining equipment to make maximum use of the tools or else they will be held accountable in conformity with the contract they entered with the government.The officer said that the government through the Ministry of Energy and Minerals in collaboration with the Tanzania Investment Bank(TIB) has signed contracts with various miners to pave the way for the later to receive subsidized mining equipment aimed at raising their daily output.
He said the development was a government initiative aimed at empowering small scale miners do away with poor tools they used in the past. He said the tools often exposed them to mining hazards that included injuries and even deaths from falls.
A total of nine private cooperative miners out of 111 received equipment in 2014 from the country’s total of 750 requests. He said that following experience, some miners had opted to sell the equipment or lease them to colleagues. This prompted the sellers to continue working in hostile environment.
The beneficiaries included Naigoti Gold Mine, Nemico Quality Production Company both being in Serengeti District, Mwangaza Mining Cooperative Society, Magunga Mining and Dorica mine, all operating in Butiama District.
He named the private miners who were offered equipment as Josephat Mwita in Kerende mine, Virginia Mkandara in Kibaga village mine, Nyorogore mine in Tarime District and Thane Tanzania in Musoma rural District.
The mining boss noted that they were planning to conduct training on mining safety and precaution in the coming months to enable small scale operators work in conducive environment as well as equipping them with first aid skills and kits.
AMBROSE WANTAIGWA IN MUSOMA