By KENNEDY MUPESENI? –

ILLEGAL mining of gemstones is rife in Kayambi area in Mungwi District with civic leaders calling for structured investment to mine on a large-scale and help generate revenue for the country.
Kayambi Ward Councillor Albert Mulenga said the area in the Northern Province had vast potential in gemstone mining but was left into the hands of small and illegal miners at the expense of benefiting the country.
Mr Mulenga said in an interview in Kayambi that proper investment was required so that benefits could be regulated and benefits trickled to national coffers and surrounding communities.
“Kayambi is endowed with a lot of minerals, we need serious investments to exploit the mineral potential,” he said.
It was believed that mineral deposits in the area included amethysts, emeralds, coal and copper.
Mr Mulenga said if the area were fully exploited people would not have been grappling with unemployment and high poverty levels.
“With massive investments in the mining and increased quarrying activities in the area, unemployment can be a thing of the past, we cannot continue grappling with poverty in an area endowed with such resources,” he said.
Mines, Energy and Water Development Minister Christopher Yaluma who is area Member of Parliament said in a separate interview that his office had embarked on a mineral mapping strategy to ascertain the mineral potential of different parts of the country.