Mining gurus for 2023 honoured

2023 was the final year for miners to work towards the achievement of the US$12 billion industry. Miners, despite many challenges ranging from power outages, and softening commodity prices, showed effort and zeal to increase production.

The mining sector, due to challenges mainly coming from a sharp drop in commodity prices, will most likely fail to meet the US$12 billion target with exports by 30 November recorded at less than US$5 billion and domestic consumption less than US$0.5 billion.

However, despite failing to achieve targets, miners have been pushing to ensure everyone benefits from the resources found in the country.

Issues to do with Environmental Social and Governance (ESG), which have been emphasized on large-scale operations fairly done well by small-scale miners, took a stance to ensure everyone benefits from the country’s resources.

This article looks at the top 10 miners who have been performing in 2023 to ensure resources benefit everyone.

Hon. Pedzisai Scott Sakupwanya is a gold-buying agent as well as a Better Brands Jewellery (BBJ) founder. Through BBJ, Sakupwanya has empowered many youths in the country at a time when unemployment is at its highest level by allowing them to work on his several claims around the country. BBJ has over 5000 youths operating at Redwing mine in Manicaland under tribute for the next several years. Apart from Manicaland, BBJ has empowered many youths in Mashonaland and Matabeleland regions, providing them with equipment and capital. BBJ delivered over 7 tonnes of gold to Fidelity Gold Refinery (FGR) in 2022.

Sakupwanya encouraged small-scale miners to practice corporate social responsibility and has been leading to ensure people benefit from mining proceeds through investing in water supply, road maintenance, and rehabilitation among others.

Currently, the President of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF), Rushwaya has been making significant strides towards the growth and development of the artisanal and small-scale mining industry through introducing several innovative measures to increase production and reduce accidents in the industry.

Her Presidency has seen small-scale operations growing significantly, becoming more formalized and mining sustainably.

In 2023, Rushwaya has made several initiatives to support women and youth by registering for them mining claims and sponsoring the operations.

She is also paying school fees for over 1000 students across the country as part of her corporate social responsibility.

Mr. Spencer Tshuma is the Director and founder of Tshuma Milling as well as the Director of Abacus Mining Investments operating around Chegutu, Kadoma, and Kwekwe. Tshuma has been assisting several small-scale miners around the country with mining equipment and capital. Many miners have received trucks and excavators from the miners. These miners include Zimbabwe Miners Federation Youth in Mining chairperson Mr. Timothy Chizuzu.

Tshuma has been pivotal in ensuring sustainable water supply and road rehabilitation in the areas where he mines. He has also been building schools and paying for school fees for the underprivileged.

 In June 2020, Tshuma handed 30 tonnes of maize and 60 tonnes of maize meal to His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa to benefit communities in Bulawayo affected by the lockdown.

Johanne Sithole is the Managing Director of Murasta Mining as well as a member of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation and Kadoma Miners Association. Sithole reportedly employed interns of Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) in 2020 to use computer-aided valuation and mine design systems to provide great facilities in project development and planning to curb mine accidents and increase mining transparency.

Through his Murasta Mining, Sithole has empowered small-scale and artisanal miners with equipment and consumables to increase production.

In 2023, Sithole created an office where his company identified the most performing pupils in schools near his operations to sponsor their education.

Makumba Nyenje is currently the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Midlands Province chairperson and CEO for the Zimbabwe Safety Environmental Health Council (ZIMSHEC). Nyenje has taken tours around Mberengwa and Zvishavane teaching small-scale miners the importance of worker’s safety as well as their health to ensure that the community benefits from mining activities and prevent pollution and environmental degradation, and ensuring sustainable management and use of natural resources while promoting justifiable economic and social development.

Nyenje also owns Rose 25 Custom Milling which he has been developing to function as a gold service centre to ensure that leakages of gold are minimised in the country.

Nyenje has also been supporting small-scale miners to venture into iron mining and smelting as well as small-scale steel manufacturing. He is also working with the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) to ensure that women iron ore miners in Mberengwa operating in Buchwa Mountain find a lucrative market for their iron ore which they have been struggling to sell.

Nyenje, through ZIMSHEC, is working to ensure rescue teams are established in the small-scale and artisanal industry to reduce deaths when accidents occur.

Mokoele is currently Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Matebeleland South Chairperson. He has been pivotal and vocal this year when it comes to small-scale mining growth and development and has supported many youths to venture into mining by funding their operations.

Mokoele has been encouraging small-scale miners to grow from small scale mining to medium-scale and has been leading by example at his mine by creating both vertical and inclined shafts at his mine with steel and concrete headgears. The headgear supports wheel mechanisms for suspending winding cables that transport workers and ore up and down deep-level shafts.

He has been encouraging small scale miners to improve from artisanal operations to imitating large-scale mines like Blanket Mine in Gwanda.

Marufu Sithole is currently the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Acting President who has proven that artisanal mining operations in small-scale mining can become a thing of the past.

Sithole has been engaging different artisanal miners into a formalised mining setup where he encourages them to set up syndicates and sometimes provides them with capital to kick start their endeavour to formalise mining.

Sithole’s mining operations employ qualified staff just like ideal large-small mines where all professional mining departments are found.

Timothy Chizuzu is a miner, mining consultant, and Environmentalist with 15 years of experience in consultancy. Chizuzu is currently the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Youth in Mining Chairperson as well as the Zimbabwe Prospectors Association (ZPA) Secretary-General. He is also the founder of the National Environmental Awareness Trust (NEAT).

Chizuzu has been vocal on mining safety in 2020, leading him to organise several workshops on the health and safety of mineworkers. He has also engaged the services of professionals (mining graduates) in his mining concessions to have professional mining operations. He has also called for small-scale miners to employ graduates as well to professionalize the small-scale and artisanal mining sector. He through different platforms also called for the graduates from different fields of mining to form syndicates or register companies and peg their own claims and implement what they learned from school.

At 23, Magadhi is currently the Young Miners for Economic Development (YMED) President. He has a lithium venture under exploration in Mutoko and has been taking a leading role in youth and women empowerment in the country.

Magadhi through YMED has been pegging Mines for youth and women in all of the country’s Province for free. He has created a venture where he identifies a district by its potential and pegs a mine for free to ensure every district benefits from mining.

Anderson Tsikira has created what could be a model of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) firms through building a state-of-the-art school and other projects.

He is sponsoring a fish project for the Mberengwa community as well as ensuring that the water pumped from his Mines is put to good use.