Online Reporter
Tongai Mashonga [email protected]
KWEKWE City Council held a massive awareness campaign on silicosis, taking the fight against the deadly occupational lung disease to the Central Business District and high-density suburbs of Mbizo and Amaveni.
The Friday march, which is in preparation for the Kwekwe Silicosis Conference scheduled for 25 September 2026, was led by city mayor, Councilor Albert Zinhanga, flanked by fellow councillors and health officials.
In a unique strategy to drive the message home, the local authority through the mayor’s office roped in popular comedian Sabhuku Varazipi, known for his rib-cracking drama acts, together with his team of actors Chairman and Mbuya Mai John.
The colourful procession snaked through the CBD before heading to Mbizo and Amaveni, where the mining town’s residents were treated to edutainment skits delivering powerful messages on the prevention and dangers of silicosis.
Speaking during the campaign, Cllr Zinhanga said the local authority was taking a proactive role to educate residents on the health risks posed by the disease that has become a menace in the gold-rich city.
“We’re here as the local authority to educate our residents on the health risks caused by silicosis. This disease has become a menace in our community and we cannot fold our hands,” he said.
“Silicosis is killing people slowly. It damages the lungs permanently, makes it difficult to breathe, causes chest pain, chronic coughing and leaves the body weak and vulnerable to TB.
“Once the lungs are scarred by silica dust, there is no cure, there is no reversal. We are losing breadwinners, we are losing fathers and mothers, leaving families destitute.”
Cllr Zinhanga said the human and social cost of the disease was devastating for families and the city at large.
“We’re seeing families losing their loved ones through painful deaths, children dropping out of school because their fathers can no longer work in the mines, and widows left to fend for families. Kwekwe is a mining city, but we cannot continue to lose lives for gold. Prevention is cheaper and better than burial,” he said.
Silicosis is an incurable but preventable lung disease caused by prolonged inhalation of silica dust, common among artisanal miners, millers, crushers and those working in gold processing plants without proper protective equipment. According to health experts, the disease causes irreversible scarring of the lungs, reduces oxygen intake, leads to respiratory failure and significantly increases the risk of tuberculosis, lung cancer and death.
In Kwekwe, where thousands depend on artisanal and small-scale mining, the disease has not only crippled productivity but has left a trail of widows, orphans and child-headed families.
The upcoming Silicosis Conference on 25 September is expected to bring together Government, the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, small-scale miners’ associations, health experts and development partners to map a collective prevention and response strategy.
