Story by Stanley James, Business Editor
Zimbabwe’s mining industry has pledged to upscale safety measures during the rainy season to guard against accidents, risks and protect miners.
Zimbabwe’s mining sector has in the past been exposed to fatal accidents during the rainy season.
With small scale miners being the most affected, focus is on raising awareness regarding safe mining operations.
“As small scale miners, we are rolling out strategies to stamp out the effects of the rainy season. Remember, this is the season where fatalities mainly occur and commitment is there to ensure safety,” said a small scale gold miner, Ms Loveness Maravanyika.
“Safety is the hallmark of transparent mining business, it is within that perspective that we should work together as a sector in identifying the potential challenges associated with the rains,” said another small scale miner, Mr Bornawake Kapururira.
“The presence of rains gives us more challenges and this should be taken seriously by the entire mining value chains as we dwell more on identifying the right steps to do and maintain safety,” noted Zimbabwe Miners Federation chief executive officer, Mr Wellington Takavarasha.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Honourable Winston Chitando revealed government’s roadmap in guarding against mining accidents during the rainy season.
“The government is aware that the rainy season has negative effects in terms of production leading to loss of lives so monitoring and evaluation remains key with adaptation being key in mitigating loss of lives and ensuring sustainability for an industry that is heavily dependent or dominated by the small scale players,” he said.
The mining sector is expected to continuously engage on preventive measures and systems to stamp out loss of lives and sustain environments.
