How Mine, Zimplats shine at Mine Rescue competitions
Bulawayo Mining Company‘s How Mine and the country’s biggest Platinum Group Metals producer Zimplats’ SMC Zimplats rescue teams dominated at this year’s edition of the national mine rescue competition held at Jena Mine in Silobela last week.
Rudairo Mapuranga
The How Mine Rescue team was the overall winner at the competition winning the best Proto team followed by the Mimosa Mine rescue team which scooped the second position while the SMC Zimplats rescue team was crowned third.
Fazilla Mukazi, captain of the How Mine team, won the initial theory best individual, best real Life call-out, best female captain and best theory while her team also won best workload individual team at a time of 11.00 minutes.
Apart from coming out as the third-best team in the competitions, Zimplats won many team and individual titles, including Best Fresh Air team with its captain winning best fresh air captain. Takaruza Chikukwa from SMC Zimplats won Proteam best captain with Spencer Makuwaza winning the initial workload test with a time of 13.56 minutes while Didien Walaza won the initial theory test Best individual with 95 per cent. Joyce Madudumise won the workload test Best individual female with a time of 14.35 minutes while Zibion Musemwa won the workload test Best individual male medium trophy with a time of 11.00 minutes. SMC Zimplats’ Charles Ganduri was crowned longest-serving member.
Second-placed Mimosa Mining Company team also scooped various prizes winning jointly with How Mine, the best workload test individual team with its captain Knowledge Makitosi winning the best individual workload test.
Other prizes went to different teams with Freda Rebecca Gold Mine’s Trust Shambare winning the initial workload test while Rumbidzai Kafura from Unki mine won the workload test Best individual female. Xmas Ncube from Hwange Colliery was crowned the longest-serving lady together with Nomination Chirumhanzu from Murowa Diamonds.
The teams had to act on a written instruction that stated, “A crew of 5 tramming employees was working in 101m levels of the Wankie shaft. It has been reported that a premature detonation occurred at 248mL N38 Sector. Your task is to proceed underground to verify the effect of the premature detonation on the N15 section. Check the following condition:
- Ventilation
- Visibility
- Ground and any other
The five main things that were being tested are
- Map reading
- Emergency procedures adherence
- Leadership and teamwork
- Physical fitness and endurance
The Mine Rescue Association of Zimbabwe was established in 1972 following the Hwange Colliery Mine disaster which killed 427 employees at the No. 2 Shaft.
The disaster exposed the gap in the industry for effective mine rescue structures that can respond to emergency rescue needs.