The Zimbabwe Republic Police has confirmed a fatal accident at Temstan Mine in Pickstone, Chegutu, where three artisanal miners lost their lives after a boulder fell on them while prospecting for gold, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
The incident occurred on May 6, 2026, in a vertical shaft estimated to be about 100 metres deep, highlighting the extreme conditions under which many informal miners operate. According to police reports, the miners were underground when the boulder suddenly dislodged, trapping them at the bottom of the shaft.
Following the accident, authorities conducted retrieval operations, and the bodies of the victims were recovered and taken to Chegutu District Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examinations. The ZRP said the names of the deceased are yet to be released, pending notification of their next of kin, while investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing.
The Temstan Mine tragedy adds to a growing list of fatal incidents in the Mashonaland West gold belt, where artisanal mining activity has intensified in recent months. Just days earlier, at least two miners were confirmed dead following a shaft collapse at Elvington Mine in Chegutu after a rockfall trapped several workers underground.
In a separate but related incident within the same mining area, rescue teams retrieved multiple bodies after a collapse at G-Zone Mining and Milling Company, where a group of artisanal miners had been working in underground shafts, further underscoring the frequency of such accidents.
Taken together, these incidents point to a broader pattern of safety challenges within the artisanal and small scale mining sector, where operations are often conducted in hazardous conditions. Deep, unsupported shafts and unstable ground remain common, with limited use of reinforcement systems or geological assessments, increasing the likelihood of sudden rockfalls and collapses.
Despite the risks, artisanal mining continues to expand across gold rich districts such as Chegutu, largely driven by sustained gold prices and constrained formal employment opportunities. As a result, more miners are venturing into disused or informally reopened workings, where safety conditions are typically poor.
While the sector remains a critical contributor to Zimbabwe’s gold output, its growth has been accompanied by a disproportionate rise in fatal accidents, placing renewed focus on the gap between production gains and safety standards.
This has intensified calls for stricter enforcement of mining regulations, improved formalisation of artisanal operations, and wider access to training and technical support, as stakeholders seek to reduce recurring loss of life in Zimbabwe’s mining sector.
