In the shadow of the former Mhangura Copper Mine, a new mining operation is processing copper-bearing material from dumps and tailings that have remained part of the area’s mining landscape for decades, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
For some young men working at the operation, however, the revival of mining activity has come with little certainty about what tomorrow will bring.
Four workers from the Mhangura area told this reporter that they are called in when their labour is required, paid according to the hours they work and have not been given written employment contracts.
“They just call us. We don’t have a contract. We are four, and they give us a dollar per hour,” one of the workers said on condition of anonymity.
The workers said they perform different duties at the operation, including work around the ball mills and other sections of the processing plant. On busier days, they said, the number of people engaged for similar work can increase.
Their accounts point to an employment arrangement in which work is dependent on the operational needs of the day, leaving workers uncertain about when they will next be called in.
For young people in Mhangura, a town whose economy was severely affected by the closure of the former copper mine, the availability of work remains a critical issue.
Questions over employment arrangements
The operation, commonly referred to locally as East Asia Mine, is linked to Chinese investor Zhijiu Mining and the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC).
The project processes material associated with historical copper mining activities in Mhangura. Previous official statements have indicated that the operation is expected to create employment and contribute to the revival of economic activity in the former mining town.
ZMDC Managing Director Blessed Chitambira has previously stated that the operation employs about 100 people.
However, the accounts provided by the four workers raise questions about how workers engaged on casual or as-needed arrangements are classified and whether they are included in the company’s stated employment figures.
The workers said they are paid US$1 per hour and are contacted when their labour is needed.
Mining Zimbabwe sent questions to ZMDC General Manager Blessing Chitambira seeking clarification on the employment status of workers engaged in this manner, including whether they are formally contracted, what protections apply to them and whether such workers are included in the operation’s employment figures.
At the time of publication, no response had been received despite the questions having been sent more than a month earlier.
Local employment concerns
The workers who spoke to this reporter said many of the people engaged at the operation come from the Mhangura area. However, they also said some workers have come from Harare and Bindura, including individuals performing work that, according to the workers, does not necessarily require specialised professional qualifications.
This has raised questions among some local residents and workers about the extent to which employment opportunities are being prioritised for people from the host community.
The issue is particularly significant in Mhangura, where the closure of the original copper mine left a lasting economic impact.
The former Mhangura Copper Mine shut down in 2000, bringing an end to decades of mining activity that had supported the town and surrounding communities. Thousands of people were affected directly and indirectly by the closure, and the town has struggled to recover economically.
The return of mining activity therefore brought expectations of employment and renewed economic opportunities.
For casual workers, however, access to work does not necessarily translate into employment security.
A gap between policy and practice
The experiences described by the workers reflect broader concerns raised by organisations advocating for greater accountability in Zimbabwe’s extractive sector.
The #PayTheHarm Media Documentation Exercise seeks to document the social, health, environmental and economic impacts experienced by communities affected by mineral extraction, while strengthening public discussion around accountability and responsible mining.
ActionAid Zimbabwe Country Director Dr Selina Pasirayi has previously highlighted the gap that can exist between policy commitments and implementation on the ground.
“We have strong policies on paper, but implementation is where the gap is. Without strong accountability systems, coordination and financing that reaches the ground, policy ambition will not translate into real change in communities that are supposed to benefit from these interventions.”
Her observations raise an important question for mining communities such as Mhangura: how can the benefits promised through mining investment be translated into meaningful and sustainable opportunities for the people living closest to the operations?
Employment is one of the most immediate ways in which communities expect to benefit from mining. But the quality, security and conditions of that employment are equally important.
The four workers who spoke to this reporter said they remain dependent on being called in when their labour is required.
They work when there is work available. When the day’s shift ends, they do not know when the next call will come.
An unanswered question
The revival of mining in Mhangura has brought renewed activity to a town whose identity and economy were once built around copper.
The operation has also created jobs and opportunities. But the experiences of casual workers raise questions about whether all forms of employment created by the project provide the security and certainty that communities hoped would accompany the return of mining.
The workers who spoke to this reporter are part of the daily labour required to keep sections of the processing operation running.
Yet they say they have no written contracts and are engaged only when their services are needed.
Whether such workers are formally recognised within the operation’s employment structure, what protections apply to them and how their working arrangements are regulated remain questions that ZMDC had not answered by the time of publication.
For the young men waiting for the next call from the mine, however, the issue is more immediate.
Today’s work brings today’s wages.
Tomorrow remains uncertain.
