Community Share Ownership Trust scheme and empowerment: The case of Gwanda Rural district, Matabeleland South Province in Zimbabwe.
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Date
2014
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Abstract
The article primarily analyses the effectiveness of social and economic empowerment strategies
targeted at the community of Gwanda Rural district. Despite abundant mineral resources, the indigenous
communities living close to the mines have been deprived of the right to directly or indirectly benefit from the
mineral resources. The study utilised a descriptive survey to collect data. The article gives a strong indication of
how communities of Gwanda Rural district can utilise the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act and
the Statutory Instrument 21 of 2010 (Community Share Ownership Trust) to empower themselves. The
Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act and the Community Share Ownership Trusts as the major
strategies currently adopted by the Government of Zimbabwe to empower local communities were evaluated.
The findings of the study indicated that the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act and Statutory
Instrument for Community Share Ownership Trust were the pro poor mining policies that ensured the
harnessing of mineral resources for the empowerment of local indigenous communities. It was also found out
that the Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Act needed to be harmonised with the Rural District
Councils’ Act, the Mines and Minerals Act, and the Communal Areas Management Act. The article concluded
that the development of infrastructure and provision of public utilities such as electricity, water, establishing
micro-credit to small and medium enterprises and implementing broad-based indigenisation policies were some
of the strategies of improving rural livelihoods and stimulating entrepreneurship in communities living close to
mines. Similarly direct and indirect linkages between the mining sector and local economy could be enhanced
through the provision of food supply to the mine, manufacture of mining inputs, provision of security services
and supply of labour by the local community. The article recommends that the harmonisation of these acts will
ensure that empowerment is integrated in all legislation focused on rural development and promote sustainable
ways of utilising the Community Share Ownership Trusts