“More Local, More Inclusive, More Interactive"
Central government's pledges to rehabilitate local hospitals such as Manama (pictured) have remained largely unfulfill...
Continue Reading...
Small scale mining industry was out of business as mines were flooded during the 2020/21 rainy season. Image by NewsDay
BY BOKANI MUDIMBA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | APR 30, 2021
Artisanal miners often have to halt mining during the rainy season as the risk of mine collapses increase. This year following restrictions because of COVID-19, going back to work means so much more.
BUBI (The Citizen Bulletin) — Heaps of gold ore haphazardly lying around, a deafening buzz from grinding mills and the sound of hammer and chisel hitting on the hard rock, characterize the day’s activity at Dawn Mine in Inyathi.
Dusty looking artisanal miner Nkayiso Mpofu (35) emerges from a tunnel wearing a tattered, wet pair of jeans and a T-shirt showing he has been working in water.
He has a headlamp attached to his forehead and is balancing a 20kg bag of gold ore on his shoulder as he makes his way out of the tunnel using a temporary ladder tied to a tree on the surface.
“We just resumed work last month after water in the tunnels subsided but we have to continuously use buckets to drain it or sometimes work in water.”
Nkanyiso Mpofu, artisanal miner
There is nothing supporting the tunnel from collapsing while Mpofu is also not wearing protective clothing.
He is one of the hundreds of thousands of small scale miners prospecting for gold in the gold-rich Bubi district and elsewhere in the country.
Despite making a contribution to the national economy with about 12 tonnes of gold per annum, small scale miners are notorious for violence and criminal activity wherever they do business.
About half a million Zimbabweans are estimated to be engaged in small scale mining in the country supporting about 2 million people, according to research by the Zimbabwe Economic Policy Analysis and Research Unit.
They also sell to government-owned Fidelity Printers and Refineries and delivered 63 per cent of gold in 2019.
Sometimes referred to as artisanal miners, they are informal miners not employed by any company but working independently sometimes using their own equipment and resources.
Most have no permit and no legal protection but are encouraged in Zimbabwe because of their significance to the country’s economy.
The heavy rains that pounded the country during the 2020-2021 season had put the small scale mining industry out of business as mines were flooded.
“From November until early March we were not doing anything meaningful because the mines were flooded underground. Initially, we would drain the water using buckets from shallow tunnels but you can imagine the labour involved so we had to wait until the rains stopped. Only those with enough equipment to drain water using engines could continue working but it was expensive for them too,” Mpofu, a father of two adds.
He says he has been a gold panner since finishing high school in Midlands province and had been hoping from mine to mine until he settled in Inyathi nearly a decade ago.
His family lives in rural Zhombe outside Kwekwe.
“There are mines in my home area but not as rich as here. This has been our source of livelihood because as much as it is laborious and dangerous, I have managed to transform my family’s livelihood and my children are going to school.”
“From December until last month we were worried because we have not been working due to flooding in the tunnels. We would risk going in but amid fear that the tunnels might collapse like what has been happening in other areas where some miners were buried underground,” Mpofu adds.
ALSO READ: Baboons Wreck Havoc In Gwanda Town
It is now business as usual.
Dawn Mine is one of the many in Bubi district including Casymn, Turk Mine, Lonely Mine, Fetkil and others which are operated by big companies and several others run by indigenous miners.
Panners make occasional raids at some of the mines resulting in cat and mouse situations with owners and police.
Collapsed Esigodini mine shaft. Image by Elias Saushoma
Indigenous mine owner Rebecca Nyoni says: “We stopped operations in December but we have been having challenges with illegal miners who would trespass into our tunnels. Those operating mills never stopped working which confirms that illegal miners have been stealing our ore. Pumping water using an engine was costly so I had to close the mine for three months and resumed recently.”
Sony Mguni who is Bubi legislator says while Bubi is rich in gold, the menace of gold panners is a cause for concern but says law enforcement agents for vigilance have been vigilant.
“There was too much water underground and people had stopped as many mines were collapsing but they have since started in most of them and the menace is everywhere. We however want to thank police and courts for their efforts,” Mguni says.
He says there is a need for an all stakeholder approach to come up with a lasting solution to the menace of gold panning and ensure people work and live in harmony.
About six mines collapsed since last year and an estimated close to 200 artisanal miners died.
Do you have a hyperlocal story to share?
WhatsApp us on: +263 71 863 6460. Email us on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy. By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse, you agree to our privacy policy.
