The mining industry was previously dominated by the big foreign names such as DeBeers and Rio Tinto among others who were known for their looting sprees which lasted for centuries. The many years that they looted, we as a people never witnessed any development in our communities. All we witnessed was a constant movement of huge trucks transporting literally every grain of our sand miles away from our land to lands afar where every mineral resource would be scrutinized and extracted for the betterment of the looters. If ever those resources came back, they would do so value added and our governments would pay through their nose for them. Ndaba Tadious Tavaziva, a 30-year-old young man from the Midlands City of Gweru tells his mining story and how it has changed his life and that of his family. "The words of the late Cde Herbert Chitepo that the liberation struggle was about the land stirred in me, the quest to discover what was special about the land. In 2017 after knowing the riches contained in the land, I ventured into chrome mining. This was made possible by ZANU PF which broke the monopoly in the chromite industry," Cde Tavaziva said. "When ZIMASCO seeded mines to the masses of Zimbabwe, this was a huge game changer for me as I acquired a place to mine. This was something not possible during pre-independent Zimbabwe that a young man in his late twenties could enter into the capital intense mining industry. "The Second Republic also brought sunshine to us small scale miners by officially recognising us," said Cde Tavaziva. "The mining industry has made me a master of my destiny. I now employ over 15 people at my mine. My standard of living has improved and that of my family due to the great financial realizations in mining. "The industry has empowered me to know that blacks are equals if not superior to whites which was never known before, after all Ian Smith once said never in a 1000 years would a black man rule this country."  Cde Tavaziva lamented some of the challenges that the young miners are facing in the industry. "The journey has not been a walk in the park because we are facing huge challenges. Mining is a capital intense business and us as young miners we finding it hard to acquire capital injection from financial institutions," Cde Tavaziva said. "If we find investors we go an extra mile to prove that we genuine since most of them are sceptical. The issue of Exclusive Prospecting Order is also proving to be a hurdle for us young miners in attaining our own mines. The benefits we get out of the once white only mining sector outweighs our challenges." Cde Tavaziva commended the sacrifice of the heroes and heroines of the liberation struggle for Zimbabwe that have made him and many others masters of their own destiny. "I am however confident that when the late heroes of the First and Second Chimurenga among them Mbuya Nehanda, Cde Jason Z Moyo, Cde Tongogara, Cde Joshua Nkomo, Cde Herbert Chitepo, RG Mugabe and many other gallant sons and daughters of the soil look at us, the young miners, they smile, knowing their sacrifices were not in vain."