Story by Mhlomuli Ncube, Assistant News Editor
AS Zimbabwe prepares to commemorate its annual Independence Day next month, attention is turning to the country’s mining sector, where small-scale miners now account for the majority of gold deliveries.
More than 60 percent of Zimbabwe’s gold output currently comes from small-scale producers, marking a significant transformation in an industry that was once largely inaccessible to the black majority during the colonial era.
Industry observers say the sector has become an important source of employment and entrepreneurship, particularly for young Zimbabweans who have entered mining as part of broader economic participation since independence in 1980.
Youth empowerment activist, Mrs Annah Mabhena, said Independence had opened economic sectors that were previously restricted.
“Our government, after independence, has enabled many young people to go into the mainstream economy, and mining is one of them. Young people are playing a very big role in mining, and most people seem to forget that this is due to the fact that independence opened up sectors of the economy that were closed to blacks,” she said.
Players within the sector say the growth of small-scale mining has created opportunities for employment, skills development and wealth creation
Miner Mr Dumisani Dube said the sector now supports hundreds of jobs and professional roles.
“We are now enjoying the fruits of our fathers’ labour. The land reform itself was important in opening up hidden economic potentials underneath the ground. Now we run mines that are employing many young people for example, I employ over 500 who even include professionals like geologists and metallurgists, and we are even going a step further, sending them to the Zimbabwe School of Mines for training. Its only whites who had such privileges,” he said.
Another miner, Mr Bekezela Moyo, said the industry had enabled many young entrepreneurs to accumulate wealth.
“If there is a generation that should be grateful, it is us. We have seen a serious creation of wealth among young miners, a direct result of our Independence that allowed us into an economic sector previously reserved for the whites. This is a great time to look at independence and admit it brought fruit that has uplifted us in a big way,” he said.
Mr Nigel Shamu also highlighted the transformation of the sector over the years.
“We are a testimony of empowerment which resulted from Independence. Imagine days when possession of gold was criminal, to where we are today. We are contributing to the national GDP now, and among us, many young black millionaires have been made through the resources of their own country. We owe such achievements to independence,” he said.
As the country prepares to mark independence celebrations, the mining sector says it continues to reflect on the transformation of an industry once dominated by a minority but which now plays a central role in economic participation and national growth.
