Zimbabwe’s Government has called for mine ventilation to become an integral and legally recognised part of mining operations, urging mine managers to move beyond voluntary approaches to a discipline critical to workers’ safety, equipment reliability and productivity, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
The call was made by Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development Dr Fred Moyo at the ongoing Mine Ventilation Society of Zimbabwe (MVSZ) Annual Conference in Bulawayo on Thursday, where he challenged mine managers to give ventilation a more prominent place in their operational structures.
The push for greater recognition comes amid concerns that ventilation remains secondary to production priorities in parts of Zimbabwe’s mining industry, despite its role in controlling underground heat, dust and other hazards that threaten workers’ health and operational safety.
Speaking to Mining Zimbabwe on the sidelines of the conference, Moyo linked ventilation directly to mining productivity, warning that poor working conditions can affect both employees and the expensive equipment deployed underground.
“If you don’t ventilate your work area properly, all the capital equipment that you put there will suffer from heat, from exhaustion, poor circulation of cooling water systems, tyre failures, employee fatigue and accidents. So it is a very, very important discipline to create productivity for the mining sector. But it mustn’t remain as a voluntary activity. It must be integral, legalised,” Dr Moyo said.
The Government’s call places the responsibility on mine managers to move beyond recognising ventilation as a safety requirement and ensure the discipline is properly incorporated into everyday mine management. The issue extends beyond worker protection, with inadequate ventilation also threatening equipment performance and the continuity of mining operations.
Echoing Dr Moyo’s call, MVSZ President Dr Tonderai Chikande stressed the importance of collaboration between the Society and the Association of Mine Managers of Zimbabwe in embedding ventilation across mining operations and supporting the industry’s growth. He said ventilation must be treated not only as an occupational health and safety priority but also as a key factor in productivity, profitability and sustainable mining.
“Mine managers operate at the intersection of safety, productivity, profitability, sustainability and leadership. Their decisions directly influence the conditions experienced underground. This makes collaboration between mine management and ventilation professionals essential,” Chikande said.
He added that ventilation expertise needed to be incorporated from the earliest stages of mine development, rather than introduced in response to problems after operations had begun.
“Ventilation must be integrated at the mine-planning stage. Occupational health risks must be anticipated rather than reacted to, and innovation must be embedded in mine design and operational strategy,” Chikande added.
Beyond the call for closer collaboration, Dr Moyo outlined a step towards assessing how ventilation is positioned within mine management structures. He said he had tasked the Association of Mine Managers of Zimbabwe with conducting a baseline study covering Class A, B and C mines.
The study is expected to establish how ventilation professionals are represented in mine organisational structures, providing a clearer picture of the technical capacity available to manage ventilation risks across different categories of operations.
Improving ventilation practices will also require support beyond individual mining companies. Government, training institutions, technology providers, equipment suppliers and regulators all have a role to play in strengthening technical expertise, improving access to appropriate solutions and addressing ventilation-related hazards.
While welcoming the participation of major mining companies at the conference, Dr Moyo emphasised the need for mine managers to take greater ownership of ventilation and ensure it receives sustained attention within their operations.
The proposed study could help identify gaps in staffing and the positioning of ventilation professionals, providing evidence to guide efforts to strengthen the discipline across the sector.
Although the Government has called for ventilation to become an integral and legally recognised part of mining operations, no specific legislative proposal or implementation timeline was announced at the conference. The study could help establish how ventilation is currently managed and where improvements may be needed.
For Zimbabwe’s mining industry, the challenge is to turn these calls into practical changes in mine planning, staffing and daily operations, ensuring ventilation protects workers while supporting equipment reliability and sustained production.
