The Government of Zimbabwe, through the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, has stressed the urgent need to find viable alternatives to mercury use before it can be completely phased out in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector.
By Ryan Chigoche
This comes amid ongoing concerns that, despite Zimbabwe’s ratification of the Minamata Convention on Mercury and a formal ban on its use in mining in 2020, mercury remains widely used, especially among small-scale gold miners.
The Minamata Convention is a global treaty designed to protect human health and the environment from the harmful effects of mercury.
While the ban is a step in the right direction, challenges in enforcement and access to alternative methods continue to hinder full compliance.
At a recent event in Harare, Chief Government Mining Engineer Eng. Michael Munodawafa acknowledged these challenges and outlined ongoing efforts to find sustainable solutions.
“We are also starting to do some research with other institutions on alternative methods which completely move away from the use of mercury. But we are still a long way. Because you can only ban something and say you don’t want to use mercury anymore, here is the solution. But before we get the solution, we can’t say we ban mercury completely. But once we get the solutions, we can come up with, like in the next two years, that no more mercury, no more importation of mercury. We end here. We only need to use the alternative methods. But at the moment, we are still working on that,” Munodawafa said.
Zimbabwe ratified the Minamata Convention in December 2020, becoming the 116th country to join the treaty. Adopted in 2013 and enforced globally since 2017, the Convention requires countries to eliminate mercury use in sectors such as small-scale gold mining, where it poses severe environmental and public health risks.
Mercury contamination can poison water sources and the food chain, affecting both miners and surrounding communities.
Although mercury-free gold extraction methods such as gravity concentration, sluicing, and cyanide use are available, adoption has been slow due to limited access to equipment, training, and financing, especially in remote mining areas.
To support the transition, Zimbabwe is part of the planetGOLD project, an initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
In partnership with the Zimbabwean government and the non-profit organisation IMPACT, the project aims to formalise ASM operations, introduce mercury-free technologies, provide access to finance, and raise awareness about the dangers of mercury.
The project targets 7,500 miners—both men and women—across 11 districts and is expected to prevent the release of up to 4.85 tonnes of mercury.
While progress is being made, authorities acknowledge that a full ban on mercury will only be realistic once safe, effective, and accessible alternatives are in place.
As the country works toward that goal, collaboration between government, miners, and development partners remains critical to ensure a just and sustainable transition.
