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Matabeleland South-based Thuma First Mining Association is advocating for a fundamental shift in the mining supply chain: unwavering accountability from equipment suppliers, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
For the association’s members, this is not merely a commercial grievance but a critical pillar for achieving sustainable growth, protecting livelihoods and unlocking the nation’s vast mineral potential.
Michael Querl, Managing Director of ABJ Engineering and a supplier member of Thuma First, paints a stark picture of the current crisis.
“A lot of miners are buying equipment, being told it can do a certain tonnage, and when they get the equipment and get it running, it does a quarter of what it should be doing,” he states.
The consequence is devastating. A miner, having secured a loan based on projected production figures, finds himself unable to repay, his business plan rendered obsolete by inferior machinery.
“Now that poor person… is done,” Querl emphasises, highlighting the human cost behind the technical failure. This cycle of underperformance erodes capital, crushes entrepreneurial spirit and traps miners in a debt spiral instead of lifting them towards prosperity.
Echoing and expanding on this, Thuma First Coordinator Alusha Lumbi underscores the systemic nature of the problem. He identifies a flood of “not so good equipment” entering the market, with suppliers—often of foreign origin—engaging in deliberate misrepresentation. “They tend to lie about the capabilities of their equipment,” Lumbi asserts. This isn’t just about optimistic estimates; it’s about a predatory practice that targets a critical sector. Miners, operating on tight margins and with immense hope, are losing massively—not just in potential revenue, but in wasted time, squandered resources and broken trust. This deception stifles growth at the very foundation of the mining ecosystem, where small- and medium-scale operations are meant to thrive.
The solution demanded by Thuma First is straightforward but transformative: enforceable guarantees and rigorous accountability. “All we’re asking is that, one, they put a guarantee on their stuff; two, be held accountable,” Querl explains. He uses the simple analogy of a car sold with a specific fuel efficiency; the buyer rightly expects that promise to be honoured. The mining industry should be no different. When a supplier claims a plant can process 20 tonnes a day, that figure must be a contractual benchmark, not a marketing fantasy. This transparency allows miners to plan, invest and build sustainably. “We’re willing to pay; nobody’s asking for freebies,” Querl clarifies. “But so long as it’s done and accountable.”
This call for accountability is inextricably linked to Zimbabwe’s national destiny. The government’s 2030 vision rests heavily on the efficient extraction of the country’s vast mineral wealth. “If we have the proper equipment in our mines… we can do the job,” Querl argues. Conversely, substandard tools sabotage the entire chain—from the individual miner’s income to national production targets. “If we’re given equipment that can’t do the work, we’re in trouble.” The path to achieving this vision, therefore, is paved with reliable machinery. The nation has the minerals; its people have the will. What is needed now are the right tools, backed by honest partnerships.
Thuma First’s advocacy is a crucial intervention. It moves the conversation beyond complaining about poor quality to demanding a new ethic of responsibility in the supply chain. It protects the most vulnerable in the sector, empowers miners with the certainty they need to grow and aligns commercial transactions with the broader national project. For Zimbabwe’s mining sector to truly be an engine of economic liberation and individual prosperity, the era of empty promises must end. The message from the ground is clear: supply us honestly, stand by your products, and let us build the future together, accountably. The 2030 vision depends on it.
