Business Reporter
AT least 139 people were killed in different mine accidents last year, showing a decrease from 2020, according to a leading labour body, amid a push for higher safety standards by the mining firms.
Mine accidents have however been increasing as some miners are reluctant to observe safety protocols, Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Workers Union (ZDAMWU) secretary general Justice Chinhema said in a statement to mark worker’s day on Monday last week.
The mining sector is Zimbabwe’s biggest foreign currency earner and the Government is targeting to grow the industry to a US$12 billion economy by the end of this year.
“In Zimbabwe, nearly one miner dies every week, this is quite a disturbing trend,” said Mr Chinhema. “This is regrettable, as it is expected that every mine should have the appropriate measures and expertise to enhance health and safety.
“I can report that in 2020 a total of 182 mineworkers were reported as having died from 116 mining accidents, in 2021, the country recorded a decrease in both accidents and fatalities as compared to the previous year with 121 accidents and 139 fatalities.
“As of 30 September 2022, the country had recorded 125 accidents and 139 fatalities.
“This is regrettable, as it is expected that every mine should have the appropriate measures and expertise to enhance health and safety. It must be emphasized that fall-of-ground accidents remain the largest accident category and the predominant cause of fatalities, followed by transportation and machinery accidents.”
Close to 75 000 mineworkers died and more than one million were seriously injured because of accidents in the mining sector globally last year. It is estimated that more people have lost lives due to diseases related to poor health conditions in the mines.
Although there has been an improvement in the number of fatalities, Mr Chinhema urged the Government and the National Social Security Authority (NSSA), as well as compliance enforcement agencies to enforce the provisions of the Mine Health and Safety Act to ensure the elimination of mine accidents.
“The extraction of the mineral wealth of our country should be done without killing, maiming, or causing any occupational ill health and diseases,” said Mr Chinhema.” The mining industry has for years been the backbone of our economy and a major provider of employment in Zimbabwe, but the benefits of these contributions to development have always been overshadowed by the industry’s poor health and safety records as well as the living standards of workers.
Today, some mine workers continue to endure harsh working conditions, including, crowded living in dilapidated old houses, inhabitant houses made of corrugated sheets, plastics, timber, and separation from their family members to live in barracks.
“Even this sector’s commitment to the development of communities where mining is taking place or affected by mining is questionable. This must change,” Mr Chimhema added.