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The Association of Mine Managers of Zimbabwe (AMMZ) honoured excellence in safety, health, environment and quality (SHEQ) performance and innovation at the 2025 SHE Audits Awards, recognising mines that demonstrated outstanding commitment to operational improvement and technological advancement.
Ayrshire Gold Mine emerged as the biggest winner in the Outstanding SHEQ Performance Improvement Award, outperforming all participating operations with the highest percentage improvement in audit performance between 2024 and 2025. The mine recorded a 7% improvement, rising from 53% in 2024 to 60% in 2025. This placed it ahead of other strong performers such as Hwange Colliery Company Limited (HCCL), which improved by 6%, and How Mine, which recorded a 4% gain.
Other mines that posted positive but modest improvements included ZCDC (1%), Eureka Mine (1%), Zimplats Bimha (0.8%), Unki Smelting (0.5%) and Unki Mine (-0.5%), the latter showing a marginal decline. Several operations recorded negative performance swings due to reduced scores, while others, such as Muriel, Blanket, and Pickstone, participated for the first time and therefore did not have 2024 comparison values.
The awards also highlighted exceptional technological advancement in mine safety.
Zimplats’ Mupani Mine received the Award for Excellence in Safety Technology Innovation, following its groundbreaking implementation of autonomous underground haulage systems. The mine has become the world’s first room-and-pillar operation to deploy autonomous Sandvik TH545i dump trucks underground—a milestone that sets a new global benchmark.
Mupani’s journey began with a successful trial in June 2022 before scaling up to a fully integrated four-truck fleet operated from a surface control room using Sandvik AutoMine®. The system has eliminated exposure-related incidents within the automated haulage zone through geofencing, physical segregation, and electronic access control. Operators now conduct their work from ergonomic surface workstations, significantly reducing underground exposure while enhancing comfort.
The technological innovation has also delivered major productivity gains. The autonomous TH545i trucks haul nearly double the payload of manually operated units, while maintaining highly consistent cycle times controlled to within ±5%. Fleet utilisation now exceeds 85%, supported by real-time dispatching, automated diagnostics and predictive maintenance systems that minimise downtime, improve fuel efficiency and boost overall availability.
The 2025 SHE Audit Awards reaffirm the sector’s growing commitment to safe, modern and sustainable mining practices, with Ayrshire Gold Mine and Zimplats Mupani standing out as leading examples of progress within Zimbabwe’s mining industry.
