Online Reporter
The Herald, 31 July 1989
THE success of what could have been one of Zimbabwe’s most prosperous mining co-operative ventures is being hampered by lack of proper mining equipment.
With an order to supply Union Carbide with 500 tonnes of chrome a month, Tavakuenda Mining Co-operative Society in Darwendale, Mashonaland West, some 60km north-west of Harare, can only supply 300 tonnes a month.
“There is too much chrome around here, but our major problem is lack of proper machinery to reach the chrome which is deep down to a depth of about 30m. “We are presently using shovels, picks and a few wheelbarrows,” said Cde Jeffrey Nguruve, the co-operative secretary, when The Herald visited them last week.
Situated along the Great Dyke, the co-operative was formed in 1985 by workers who had been retrenched from mines in the area. The membership of the co-operative has since risen to 105 from 98 when it started. Cde Nguruve said the type of chrome they mined was D23. It sold for between $79 and $96 a tonne depending on the grade.
He said the co-operative was registered under the Mines and Minerals Act and with the Ministry of Community and Co-operative Development and Women’s Affairs.
The co-operative needed electricity, big machinery and coke pans which move on railway sleepers. Miners use carbide lights in the mine tunnels. But there were only a few of these and most of the co-operators used candles. The co-operative bought a compressor in 1986 for $22 000.
“Unless we get assistance, we cannot progress. There is great business in chrome mining,” Cde Nguruve said. He added that the co-operative only received technical assistance from the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation. They needed assistance in procuring machinery, he said.
Lessons for today
- Tavakuenda Mining Co-operative in Darwendale, is a group of former mine workers who saw an opportunity in chrome mining but lacked the equipment and infrastructure needed to fully exploit it. The cooperative had access to abundant chrome deposits and even had a ready market through Union Carbide, yet it could only produce 300 tonnes instead of the required 500 tonnes.
- The cooperative had a guaranteed buyer but could not meet demand. The article describes miners using shovels, picks, wheelbarrows and Candles, while trying to mine chrome located about 30 metres underground. Even today, many small-scale miners face similar challenges because they rely on labour-intensive methods.
- Cooperatives can create opportunities. The cooperative was established by retrenched mine workers who pooled their skills and resources. When properly supported, cooperatives can become important engines of local development.
- The cooperative was legally registered and receiving technical support, but it still lacked the equipment needed to scale up operations.
- Zimbabwe’s mining sector remains one of its most important industries today, with chrome continuing to be a major export mineral. The Great Dyke remains one of the world’s significant sources of chromium ore.
- Over the years, some mining cooperatives succeeded and expanded, while many others struggled because they could not secure the machinery and investment needed to compete effectively.
- The biggest lesson is that entrepreneurship flourishes when backed by finance, technology, and infrastructure. The story of Tavakuenda Mining Co-operative shows that their challenge had often not been a lack of opportunities, but a lack of the resources needed to turn opportunities into large-scale success.
