SHURUGWI – Four artisanal miners died last Thursday after a shaft collapse at Chengxi Gold Mine in Shurugwi, police said.
“The ZRP confirms a mine accident which occurred at Chengxi Gold Mine, Shurugwi, on 04/09/25 where four artisanal miners died,” the ZEP said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The victims, who were prospecting for gold in a disused mineshaft, got trapped after the mineshaft collapsed. The bodies of the victims were retrieved and taken to Gweru Provincial Hospital for a post-mortem.”
Chengxi Gold Mine, located in the mineral-rich Midlands province, is partly owned by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son Collins, who is also the company’s chairman. He partnered Chinese investors in the venture, which has become one of the biggest operations in the district.
Although the mine maintains that it observes recognised safety standards, officials say it continues to battle nightly invasions by artisanal miners who sneak into disused shafts to carry out unregulated and dangerous prospecting.
Mine collapses involving artisanal miners are common in Zimbabwe, with dozens killed annually in poorly ventilated, unstable tunnels where safety standards are absent and rescue missions often challenging.
Despite repeated tragedies, artisanal miners — many driven by poverty and unemployment — continue to risk their lives in abandoned shafts across the country.
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