.png)
In an effort to ensure the government intervenes and holds investors accountable to the country’s laws and regulations, Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) President Ms. Henrietta Rushwaya has issued a stark warning against foreign investors who are ill-treating and killing local miners, describing the situation as “totally unacceptable” and warning that the small-scale mining community’s patience is wearing thin, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Speaking with visible emotion at the Federation’s conference during Mine Entra 2025, the ZMF President demanded that the government immediately halt what she termed an “unbecoming tendency” that has seen foreign operators become a “menace” to local safety and livelihoods.
“Our hearts are bleeding because of such tendencies. And this is something which we cannot envisage as small-scale miners to happen in our own country,” Rushwaya told a captivated audience. She emphasised the gravity of the situation, adding, “It’s something that we cannot allow to go on and on until untold end.”
The address painted a grim picture of an industry in crisis, where the influx of foreign capital is increasingly accompanied by violence and impunity. Rushwaya detailed how legitimate artisanal and small-scale miners are facing brutal treatment from investors who operate outside the country’s legal frameworks.
In a moment that underscored the national dimensions of the crisis, Rushwaya highlighted the painful irony of Zimbabweans facing mistreatment at home, while abroad, they are often subjected to xenophobic attacks.
“It is quite disheartening that if we go to a foreign land, we are treated as illegal people in those countries. And we suffer xenophobic treatment,” she noted. “But how can we be ill-treated when we are in our own country?”
Beyond physical violence, the ZMF President detailed a multi-faceted threat. She accused these investors of environmental degradation and the systematic displacement of local miners from their legitimate claims. She described an “insurgence of so-called investors who have literally become small-scale miners in their own right,” operating without regard for the sector’s established norms.
Rushwaya expressed particular frustration that the small-scale mining sector is being unfairly blamed for environmental damage that she asserts is being caused by these foreign operations.
“As small-scale miners, we feel shortchanged because of late, all the bad things that have been happening are not being done by small-scale miners. They are being done by the so-called investors,” she stated, drawing a clear line between legitimate local miners and destructive foreign entities.
The ZMF President’s address took on an urgent, direct tone as she appealed to government officials present at the conference to act before the situation escalates further.
“Please take it upon yourself to redress this unbecoming tendency that is happening in the country currently,” Rushwaya pleaded. She specifically called for a fundamental overhaul of how foreign investment is vetted, suggesting that current oversight mechanisms are failing.
“It’s high time government takes a real look at the vetting of the so-called investors that are coming into the country,” she stated, implying that the current system is allowing actors with contempt for Zimbabwean law and citizens to enter the mining sector.
Rushwaya coupled her plea with a sobering caution about the potential for grassroots retaliation if the government fails to act, signalling that the community’s renowned patience is a finite resource.
“We don’t want a revolution to come from the small-scale mining sector, especially where foreigners are concerned, because we outnumber them out there in the bush, and the situation will not be pleasant at all,” she warned.
This statement laid bare the potential for violent escalation if grievances are not addressed through official channels. Yet, despite the grave challenges outlined, Rushwaya concluded on a note of determined resilience, affirming the sector’s commitment to peace and productivity.
“We will maintain our peace, and we’ll continue to work hard,” she declared, encapsulating the dual message of her address: an unwavering demand for protection and respect, coupled with a commitment to continue driving Zimbabwe’s economy through lawful and productive mining.
