Safety fuse shortage hits mining sector

Michael Magoronga, Midlands Correspondent
THE shortage of caped safety fuse sets is threatening to cripple the extractive sector with miners now resorting to using homemade options and risking their lives in the process.

Caped safety fuses are lengthy cables, which have blasting caps attached at the end and are used to blast explosives in the mining industry. Home-made cables can blast at anytime before miners get out of the pit while the capped safety fuses have stipulated time that allows the miner to move to safe zones before blasting.

The non-availability of the cables has led to some desperate miners resorting to using home-made fuses. Small-scale miners who are the worst affected have since resorted to using improvised cables in a desperate move to continue with mining activities.

Intrachem Private Limited, one of the major suppliers of the product in the country, says it is facing a number of challenges in bringing the product into the country. “As you might be aware, Peru from where we get the product, has been one of the worst affected countries by Covid-19 and they have been implementing lockdowns, which made it impossible for us to import the product.

“The good news however, is that they have since started trading as we speak and the product is on its way,” said Intrachem managing director, Mr Langton Nyandoro. The company imports fuses and explosives from Famesa in Peru.

Mr Nyandoro said the introduction of the 20 percent liquidation also did not help the situation. “We used to have a special account where we would straight away purchase our product, but as you are aware, we now have to access the foreign currency through the auction system. For us to access the money it takes time, which is also further delaying the process,” said Mr Nyandoro.

“We were expecting the shipment on the 25th of October but we are now expecting it from end of next week. In fact, we have since ordered enough for the whole year.”

Big mines might not be feeling the heat as they have magazines, which they use to store their mining equipment but it is the lives of small-scale miners that are at risk as they try every trick to eke a living.

Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) spokesperson, Mr Dosman Mangisi, advised miners to adopt the use of shock tubes in place of fuses.