Online Reporter
The Government’s call for the eradication of unregistered gold mining in Umzingwane District should be understood not as a threat to artisanal miners’ livelihoods, but as a necessary step towards transforming one of the most important informal economic activities into a safer, more productive and accountable industry.
The message delivered by Deputy Minister of Defence and Umzingwane MP Brigadier General (Rtd) Levi Mayihlome is particularly important because Zimbabwe cannot afford to continue treating unsafe and unregistered mining as an unavoidable feature of rural livelihoods.
“Prevention must become our first line of defence,” we quote Brig Gen Mayihlome as saying elsewhere today, rightly pointing to the need to change a culture in which miners often learn dangerous practices from relatives, friends and fellow miners rather than through proper technical training.
The training programme conducted with technical support from How Mine is therefore a welcome intervention. Participants were trained in ground support, hazard identification, shaft inundation, emergency response, underground gas testing, regulatory compliance, claim registration and blasting requirements.
But training alone will not formalise artisanal mining. The Government must ensure that miners who have acquired these skills can realistically obtain mining claims, licences, equipment, finance and access to formal markets.
There is little value in telling artisanal miners to register their operations if the regulatory process is costly, cumbersome or inaccessible. Formalisation must offer tangible economic benefits over operating illegally.
The Government should therefore consider a coordinated package that combines simplified registration procedures, affordable licensing, technical extension services, access to equipment and financing, and stronger links between small-scale miners and established mining companies.
This is also critical for gold production. Artisanal and small-scale miners make a significant contribution to Zimbabwe’s gold deliveries, and bringing more production into the formal economy would improve transparency, enhance safety and potentially increase official revenues.
The environmental dimension cannot be ignored either. As How Mine representative Mlondolozi Nkomo noted, mining must not become a source of conflict with farmers over land, grazing areas and water.
Responsible waste disposal, land rehabilitation and protection of water sources should be integral to the formalisation programme.
The proposed progression from basic training to recognised qualifications through institutions such as the Zimbabwe School of Mines is particularly encouraging. Artisanal mining should not be regarded as a dead-end occupation. Properly structured, it can become an entry point into formal mining careers.
However, the success of the Umzingwane initiative will ultimately be measured by what happens after certificates are handed out.
The miners need continued technical support, monitoring and opportunities to upgrade their skills.
The Government should also replicate the programme in other mining districts where unsafe artisanal operations and illegal mining remain prevalent.
Our economy needs the gold, but it does not need the avoidable deaths, environmental degradation and lawlessness that can accompany unregulated extraction.
Formalisation should therefore be pursued as an economic development programme, not merely an enforcement exercise. If miners are given a practical pathway from informality to legality, safer operations and greater productivity, both communities and the national economy stand to benefit.
