On the 20th of September, the majestic backdrop of Victoria Falls will host more than just tourists and global adventurers; it will become the convergence point for Zimbabwe’s finest rock engineering minds as the Zimbabwe National Institute of Rock Engineering (ZINIRE) stages its 2025 Annual General Meeting and Symposium, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Held under the timely theme “Managing Fall of Ground into the Future,” the symposium is more than just a calendar event — it’s a strategic gathering as the mining sector grapples with increasing geotechnical risks, deepening shafts, ageing infrastructure, and a rising call for safety-driven production.
Hosted at Elephant Hills Hotel, this AGM and symposium isn’t merely about institutional updates. It is a space where science meets experience, where ideas around rock mechanics, strata control, and mine stability will be shared, debated, and shaped into practical responses for an industry that has lost too many lives to preventable fall-of-ground incidents.
Not Just Another Talk Shop
For many in the mining ecosystem, “Fall of Ground” is no abstract terminology — it’s a grim reality that continues to haunt shafts across the country. With several fatalities in both large- and small-scale operations linked to rockfalls and poor support systems, this AGM could not have come at a better time.
What makes the ZINIRE Symposium stand out is its technical relevance. It is tailored for rock engineers, strata control officers, mine planners, civil engineers, SHEQ practitioners, MRM managers, geologists, and virtually anyone who influences how Zimbabwe mines.
It is also one of the few platforms that integrates students, ensuring knowledge transfer is not siloed at the top but flows to the next generation of mining professionals.
Fall of Ground: A National Concern
Zimbabwe’s mining industry has recorded multiple injuries and fatalities due to fall-of-ground hazards — a clear indication that rock engineering cannot remain a backroom function. The symposium will push the sector to rethink how support systems are designed, how data is used to predict geotechnical threats, and how policies can be aligned with modern ground control science.
It’s not just about ticking safety boxes; it’s about ensuring that every miner — whether in a mechanised platinum mine or a deep artisanal gold pit — returns home alive.
Open Call for Technical Papers
To ensure that knowledge is not just top-down, ZINIRE is calling for technical papers from practitioners and researchers across the sector. Those wishing to present during the symposium must submit their abstracts by 31st August 2025 to ZINIRE’s technical committee, led by Patrick Mushangwe and Freddy Chikwiwira. This ensures the AGM becomes a ground for home-grown solutions rooted in our own mining context, not borrowed theories from foreign operations.
Registration and Sponsorship
Registration for delegates is $150, while students attend for free — a deliberate gesture aimed at empowering the next generation. Corporate players are encouraged to support through tiered sponsorship packages ranging from Bronze ($500) to Platinum ($2,000+), with added visibility and opportunities to present from the Silver tier upwards.
This year’s ZINIRE AGM is not just about engineering talk — it’s about shaping the mining narrative around resilience, data-driven operations, and investor confidence built on safety.
For a mining sector that is determined to grow its contribution to the economy while reducing its human cost, events like these are no longer optional — they are essential.
