Deputy Chief Government Mining Engineer Tapererwa Paswavaviri has been named Guest of Honour at the Zimbabwe National Institute of Rock Engineering (ZINIRE)‘s 13th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Annual Symposium, placing government mining oversight at the centre of discussions on technology-driven fall-of-ground management.
The event is scheduled for 22–24 October 2026 at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The symposium will run under the theme, “Leveraging Technology for Next Generation Fall of Ground Management,” as mining professionals seek improved approaches to identifying ground hazards, assessing rock stability and strengthening ground-support systems.
Falls of ground remain a significant hazard, particularly in underground mines, where unstable rock masses and inadequate support can lead to fatalities, damage to infrastructure and costly production disruptions.
Paswavaviri’s participation brings the government mining inspectorate into discussions on how engineering practices, technological advances and regulatory oversight can improve the management of ground-related risks across mining operations.
ZINIRE Vice President and Organising Chairman Freddy Chikwiri said the symposium would bring together professionals from different disciplines to strengthen approaches to ground-control management.
“With Eng. Paswavaviri as our Guest of Honour, we are bringing together the regulatory authority, industry leaders, and technical practitioners under one roof to ensure that safety standards are not just discussed, but actively elevated,” said Chikwiri.
The focus on technology highlights the growing role of modern tools and engineering methods in ground-hazard identification, rock-mass assessment, excavation design and ground-support decisions.
For mining companies, improvements in these areas can help protect workers and infrastructure while reducing unplanned interruptions to production. Integrating rock engineering assessments into mine planning and operational decisions is therefore essential to managing both technical risks and operating costs.
The symposium is expected to bring together rock engineers, mine surveyors, geologists, mine managers and other industry practitioners to exchange knowledge and discuss practical approaches to fall-of-ground management.
Programme and Registration
The programme begins on Thursday, 22 October 2026, with a pre-event Map3D training session and software demonstration scheduled for 1500 hours.
The main symposium is scheduled for Friday, 23 October 2026, at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, with the event running through Saturday, 24 October 2026.
Registration costs US$150, while students can attend free of charge.
