By Margaret Kamba 

ZANU PF Secretary for Mines and Mining Department, Cde Paul Mangwana has called on all mining stakeholders to put their heads together towards the amendment of the Mining Bill.

Speaking during a two-day workshop organised by the Department, Cde Mangwana said it has taken the amendment too long hence the need for active participation of stakeholders to advance their interests.

"We have put our minds together on this bill, which is a proposal to amend the law. Our work is starting now. If we don't put our heads together, we will have ourselves to blame. The last time the law was formed was in 1961. It has taken 64 years before being amended. We must seize this opportunity together."

Cde Mangwana said the "Bill will be read for the first time in Parliament tomorrow, then provincial visits by the Parliamentarians will follow. Let's organize the people to support the reforms we want put in."

Also speaking during the workshop, Deputy Minister for Finance, Honourable Kudakwashe Mnangagwa said amendment to the bill must allow the contribution of small scale miners.

"For far too long, the fiscal and regulatory environment, governing mining has lagged behind modern best practices, outdated legislation, opaque licensing and weak coordination between state institutions have constrained the sector's potential," he said.

"The bill seeks to encourage local value addition, where a full rebate of royalty is granted for minerals and mineral bearing products used wholly within Zimbabwe.

"ZANU PF broke barriers when it recognized the artisanal miners. The small scale miners need to therefore build a track record of their receipts in order to be financed."

The mining sector contributes 60 percent of export earnings and 13 percent of the Gross Domestic Product GDP.