The Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) will host an environmental awareness meeting for artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) on Tuesday at the Magaya Mining Site in Gadzema, Chegutu, with First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa as the guest of honour, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The event, organised in conjunction with Magaya Mining, underscores growing political and regulatory pressure on a sector that has become a double-edged sword for the economy.
The ASM sector now contributes over 60% of Zimbabwe’s gold deliveries to Fidelity Gold Refinery and sustains an estimated 1.5 million livelihoods through direct and indirect employment. Yet, this economic lifeline operates largely outside the law. ZMF estimates there are more than one million ASM operators in the country, with approximately 85% unregistered.
The environmental toll has been severe. A 2025 study found that mercury use has caused “severe contamination of water bodies”, while land clearing for mining has led to “severe deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and declining agricultural productivity”. Across Zimbabwe, an estimated 96% of artisanal gold mine sites still rely on mercury, and the sector releases more than 24 tonnes of mercury into ecosystems annually.
In response, the government gazetted the Mines and Minerals Bill in June 2025, a long-awaited reform to replace the 1961 Act. The Bill explicitly prioritises the formalisation of artisanal mining and the alignment of mining activities with environmental and social safeguards. Meanwhile, ZMF has launched a “Gold Card” biometric ID system to bring informal miners into a verifiable national database, aiming to transition the sector “from informal survival to professional, profitable and safe businesses”.
The June 16 gathering at the Magaya Mining Site will see the First Lady—who has previously engaged illegal panners on tree planting and land rehabilitation—emphasise the need for sustainable practices in an industry that now accounts for more than 45% of Zimbabwe’s foreign currency inflows.
