COVID-19 Fuels Child Labour in Matabeleland South

In Matabeleland South hordes of children drop out of school for gold mining. Image by New Ziana

by Amanda Ncube

Matabeleland South recorded the highest percentage of child labour about six years ago. This year, COVID-19 has placed children out of school and caused economic shocks—leading children back to labour in hazardous environments.

MATOBO, September 9, 2020. (The Citizen Bulletin) — AT age 13, Tellmore* a Grade Six boy from Mbuya Village in Ward 19 in Matobo District wakes up early in the morning to assist his mother to raise income.

He makes his way to Zamanyoni Mountain, a mining site which is in a neighbouring village in the company of his mother. While his mother sells foodstuff and other wares at the mining site, he provides labour for miners to transport gold ore from the mountain top down where it awaits to be transported to the nearest milling site.

Each bag earns the boy R10 and on a good day he can make R150. Tellmore is one of the several young people who because of the COVID-19 outbreak, now go to the mining sites in search of a livelihood.

In the past years several young people have been involved in the mining industry in other parts of Zimbabwe in an attempt to alleviate poverty.

The economic shocks and closure of schools brought by COVID-19 have seen young children resorting to artisanal mining in Matobo. Tellmore, a pupil at Zamanyoni Primary School says ever since the COVID-19 outbreak his family has been struggling to make ends meet as his father lost his job in South Africa.

He and other young people from his community have been working at the mining site for about a month now.

“It’s hard work carrying the gold ore from the mountain top down, but I have no option but to help my mother fend for me and my two sisters.”
Tellmore*, a 13-year-old working at mines

Tellmore feels that the payment he gets in return is fair.

His mother, Cynthia Moyo says she does not force her son to work at the mining site, but he goes there willingly as he realises the need for him to help his family.

Villagers have flocked Zamanyoni Village in a gold rush ignoring COVID-19 regulations. They do not observe COVID-19 regulations such as social distancing, sanitising of hands or wearing masks.

The councillor for Ward 19 in Matobo District, Henry Ncube says people have been mining on the mountain all along, but they started incorporating children during the COVID-19 outbreak. The closure of schools has also presented parents with an opportunity to involve their children in the work.

Some of the children come to work on their own while others come with their guardians who also work at the mining sites. They ferry gold ore from the mountain top down, sell wares and some even pan of gold.

Ncube says some families have been relying on remittances from their relatives in the diaspora which have since stopped coming for some.

“People are starving here in the rural areas. The situation was already bad before the pandemic and it has now worsened. For the past five to six months’ supply of grain under the drought relief programme has been erratic. That mining site has presented people with an opportunity to raise money to fend for their families and they are now also incorporating their children,” he says.

Criswell Nyakudya, Matabeleland South provincial social welfare officer says the province has a total of 68 380 households that were benefitting under the drought relief programme against a backdrop of 140 739 households in the province that are vulnerable.

The Department of Social Welfare in Matabeleland South Province has submitted a request to their head office for the number of beneficiaries to be increased and they are still awaiting a response.

The local leadership of the area say they have tried to engage parents and advised them against exposing children to the hazardous working environment, law enforcement agents were also called in to warn the community.

“The situation is better now but some parents are still insisting on bringing their children to the mining site to work. They are now doing this discreetly out of fear of being caught by authorities,” Ncube adds.

According to the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) 2014 Labour Force and Child Survey (LFCLS) report, Matabeleland South had the highest percentage of children engaged in child labour mainly in the agriculture, hunting and fishing industries.

Zimbabwe is a signatory to a number of international conventions on child labour and has its own laws that are against the practice. In 2015, Zimbabwe eliminated what was regarded as the worst form of child labour by passing the Labor Amendment Act to increase the minimum age for work from 15 to 16 years, and the minimum age for apprenticeships from 13 to 16 years.

Although the minimum age for hazardous work is 18, with a fragile economy and a raging pandemic the legal measures have not stopped children from labouring.

Lack of access to grain has also been a push factor enabling child labour, some districts in the province have gone for two months without receiving any grain from the drought relief programme, leaving beneficiaries stranded.

Coordinator of Thusanang HIV and AIDS Project in Gwanda Urethabisitse Mathe says child labour in mining areas in Matabeleland South has become rampant especially since the COVID-19 outbreak.

“Children are not only working in mining areas in Matobo only but other districts. They pick up stones along Umzingwane River in Esigodini,” says Mathe.

Mathe says there is a need for the Government to engage various partners to introduce more livelihood projects within communities and various food intervention strategies which can help boost income and food supply within households.

“The mining industry is labour intensive which is a clear violation of children’s rights. It has often recorded a number of violent crimes. This is not an ideal set up for children, it exposes children to abuse.”
Urethabisitse Mathe, Thusanang HIV and AIDS Project Coordinator

There is significant violence in mining areas with panners fighting over claims and gold ore while others fall victim to robberies. Some of these activities are illegal and girls in particular are prone to sexual abuse.  

Esandleni Sothando Trust project officer, Beaven Mwachande fears that some children will refuse to go back to school when they open as they have become used to earning an income through mining.

“There is a need for parents and guardians to be educated more on the dangers and impacts of child labour. Law enforcement agents and other partners involved in protection of child’s rights need to do more to prevent and stop child labour,” says Mwachande.

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