ZIMBABWE’S artisanal and small-scale mining sector must look beyond the glitter of the gold price and build a lasting legacy rooted in responsible practices, ethical operations, and community stewardship, Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) President Ms Henrietta Rushwaya has said.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Speaking at the Chamber of Mines Gold Symposium, Ms Rushwaya painted a vivid picture of a sector at a crossroads – bursting with potential but shackled by financing constraints, a lack of working space, and the reality that 90 per cent of operators are currently working without proper tenure.
But amid the challenges, she celebrated a groundbreaking partnership between Mutapa Investments and Chegutu-based Magaya Mining as a template for the future – a consolidated mining framework that operates as a one-stop shop.
“Mutapa Investments have taken a lead with Chegutu-based Magaya Mining, and you’ve started a model which consolidates the sector through a consolidated mining framework, where everything is done under one roof, and it has become a one-stop shop,” Ms Rushwaya said.
“Well done to Mutapa Investments. You have become bigger, and yet there’s a model.”
She called on government and the private sector, including the Chamber of Mines, to create synergies that organise small-scale miners into productive teams and clusters, moving away from the fragmented and often informal operating environment.
Ms Rushwaya, herself a beneficiary of the government’s Gold Development Initiative Fund (GDIF) administered through Fidelity Gold Refinery, gave a compelling personal testimony of the facility’s transformative power.
“When I started mining, I used to produce plus or minus 25 to 30 grams every week. But I’ve actually grown in production exponentially to the extent that I’m now producing five kilograms of gold every month,” she revealed.
“That’s actually an upward trajectory insofar as mining is concerned. I’m one of the beneficiaries of the Government Gold Development Initiative Fund.”
She noted that the GDIF, introduced about five to six years ago, has enabled many small- to medium-scale miners to develop their mines, acquire yellow machinery, and access training, unlocking a wave of production that now accounts for more than 60 percent of national gold output.
Responsible mining is key to livelihoods
However, Ms Rushwaya cautioned that growth in output must be matched by growth in conscience. She urged miners to build a legacy that endures beyond the next gold price spike.
“I think as small-scale miners we need to prioritise ethical, environmental, and socially conscious practices. This goes beyond the price and the quality. It requires companies to evaluate how suppliers treat their workers, and it also needs to look at the impact on local communities and the effect on the environment across the entire supply chain,” she said.
“As a small-scale mining sector, I think responsible mining is key to our day-to-day livelihoods.”
Her message was clear: the sector’s long-term viability depends not on how much gold is pulled from the ground today, but on how responsibly it is extracted and on whether the communities and environments that host mining operations are left better off for generations to come.
