Health and safety training key for women miners
MINERS’ representative bodies have called for increased health and safety training programmes targeting women in mining to minimise their exposure to risks.
More women are joining the mining sector hence the need to train them on health and safety to reduce hazards associated with mining.
Many women had in the past been reluctant to join mining because of the dangers associated with mining activities.
Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) member who is also the Zvishavane Glory Women in Mining Association chairlady, Mrs Chiedza Tsikai, said there was an urgent need to train women in mining on health and safety.
“The number of women joining the mining sector is growing and there is therefore a need to come up with training programmes targeting women. These women lack information on safe mining mothods and as such many fall victim of hazards associated with mining activities,” she said.
Mrs Tsikai said women need to be trained so that they employ proper mining standards that reduces risks while boosting production.
She said women make up more than 10 percent of artisanal and small-scale miners and many of them were in urgent need of working capital to buy consumables and machinery.
Mrs Tsikai said in Zvishavane many women were into chrome and gold mining but many of them did not have the required machinery.
“Most women are hiring compressors, excavators, water pumps and generators among other machinery and equipment,” said Mrs Tsikai.
She said the miners were therefore realising very little profits as most of the money was gobbled by hiring plant and equipment.
Mrs Tsikai said some sponsors who purport to be assisting women miners were actually robbing them.
She said like other businesses, women in mining were adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic which forced them to suspend operations at the peak of pandemic.
Mrs Tsikai said the other challenge facing women miners is that they cannot be at the mine for 24 hours as they have other responsibilities of as wives, mothers and care givers.
Young Miners Foundation (YMF)’s Young Women Affairs director Mrs Everdine Deshe said as an organisation they were stepping up efforts to develop projects that specifically speak to the development of young women miners.
“As men have remained the gate keepers in the mining sector, it has increasingly been difficult for women to excel in this male dominated industry due to a number of factors, which range from gender discrimination, gender violence, general misconceptions and myths,” she said.
Mrs Deshe said they intend to provide a platform that will assist women intending to join the mining industry by providing them with information on where they can seek support.
YMF brand ambassador who is also the Founder and chief executive officer of the Miss Mines Zimbabwe beauty pageant Ms Nomsa Hilda Mpofu said there was a need for awareness on mining business, women empowerment and protection programmes in the mining sector.