Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Gwanda Correspondent
MINING companies in Matabeleland South province have taken up various measures to curb the spread of Covid-19 in line with Government guidelines under the extended lockdown.
Government has exempted the mining sector and other essential service providers from the 14-day extended lockdown that ends on May 3.
The measures include restricting movement of people into and out of their work premises, screening and sanitising workers, setting up isolation points and management and screening of visitors.
Mines are also operating with skeletal staff in order to reduce the number of workers while promoting social distancing. The firms are also conducting awareness campaigns on Covid-19 and distributing pamphlets to workers and the community.
Responding to questions sent on email, Pretoria Portland Cement (PPC) Zimbabwe Collen Bawn factory general manager, Mr Ngangezwe Khumalo, said they had sanitised their premises and surrounding community to ensure that workers were not exposed to Covid-19.
“We have identified and implemented a number of interventions with the main objective being to ensure that our communities and employees are educated on the pandemic. At our factory entry points all members of staff, their dependants, as well as all visitors coming to the site have their temperatures checked and hands sanitised,” he said.
“We installed a hand washing facility equipped with warm water, sinks, soap and sanitiser dispenser and hand drier at the factory main gate. When an employee, dependant or visitor is found to be exhibiting Covid -19 symptoms he or she will be taken into a temporary isolation facility, which we have set up while the health authorities are alerted to come and attend to the suspected case.”
Mr Khumalo said all access points have a thermometer and trained guards who do the screening. The organisation also distributed hand sanitisers and face masks to all its employees and their families. The company also said it has engaged a service provider to sanitise all work spaces to ensure workers are not exposed to Covid-19. The sanitisation programme was also extended to the communities, he said.
Mr Khumalo said they engaged the Ministry of Health and Child Care for joint awareness campaigns for employees and other local stakeholders who include police, shops, traders, schools, churches, surrounding small mines and other public institutions.
Blanket Mine general manager, Mr Caxton Mangezi, said they had put the factory under lockdown to control movement of people.
“As Blanket Mine our residential village and the plant area are completely enclosed within a security fence with controlled access points. We have, therefore, taken the decision to create one large house within the fence for the purpose of lockdown. All workers and their families are locked within the fence,” he said.
“We have a centralised arrangement for purchasing of food to limit the number of people who feel they need to go into Gwanda to stock up. We have also restricted visitors to the mine and discouraged movement in and out of the mine.
“Access is strictly controlled at these gates and allowed based on a pass issued by management. Such a pass will indicate the traveller’s destination and period of absence. All people coming back from such absence are subject to screening at the gates. All vehicles delivering goods to the mine are subjected to sanitised sprays and drivers are provided with protective masks and asked to sanitise themselves,” said Mr Mangezi.
He also said the mine has a clinic on site fully equipped with an ambulance and manned by four qualified nursing staff and these are supported by a local medical doctor who visits the clinic once a week and is always on call in case of an emergency. The mine has also set up a temporary isolation point.
Mr Mangezi said as part of efforts to protect workers, the mine has bought masks, wipes, sanitisers, latex gloves, liquid soap containers, paper towels among other things. — @DubeMatutu.
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