Magaya Mining is using contractual arrangements to organise artisanal miners operating on its claims, with the company seeking to help small-scale operators expand their businesses through partnerships, technical support and improved access to deeper mineral resources, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Hopewell Muchemedzi, speaking on behalf of Magaya at the planetGOLD Zimbabwe Annual Stakeholders Conference in Harare on Wednesday, said the company had adopted an approach that recognises artisanal miners as operators working under defined arrangements rather than simply labelling them illegal miners.
Muchemedzi was speaking during a panel discussion titled Learning and Dialogue on Building Practical and Inclusive ASGM Formalisation, chaired by Emmerson Mungwariri.
He said Magaya’s primary focus was mineral processing rather than mining, prompting the company to reconsider how it manages mining activity on its own claims.
“We are not a mining company as we stand. We are a processing company. That’s what we focus on,” Muchemedzi said.
He explained that Magaya had moved away from using the term makorokoza for miners operating on its claims, instead bringing in operators under different contractual arrangements.
The model accommodates miners at different levels of development, from individuals using basic tools to more established operators capable of undertaking larger mining projects.
Muchemedzi said the intention was to create opportunities for miners to develop their operations over time, rather than remain trapped in rudimentary methods of extraction.
He described a progression in which a miner who begins by sinking a shaft with basic tools could eventually develop a more organised operation with a larger workforce and improved technical capacity.
“Growth is there within our own claims, and we are willing to forge a partnership that goes beyond,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that artisanal mining operations faced technical limitations, particularly when miners sought to access mineral resources at greater depths.
Muchemedzi said Magaya was exploring ways to help miners move beyond depths of about 150 metres, allowing them to pursue deeper resources using approaches comparable to those employed by larger mining companies.
The challenge, he suggested, was not simply to provide miners with access to mineral-bearing ground, but to create conditions under which their operations could become more sophisticated and productive.
His remarks placed contractual arrangements within a broader discussion about practical formalisation, in which artisanal miners need opportunities to operate within recognised frameworks while developing the technical capacity to expand their businesses.
The panel discussion formed part of the planetGOLD Zimbabwe conference, which brought together stakeholders to examine approaches to formalising artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM).
Muchemedzi’s presentation highlighted the potential role of partnerships between established operators and artisanal miners in creating a pathway from basic extraction towards more organised mining businesses.
