Mine Workers the Lifeblood of Zimbabwe’s Economy, Deserve Justice and Dignity
On this International Workers’ Day, the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) stands in solidarity with workers across Zimbabwe and the world. We honor their resilience, sacrifice, and contribution to national development. In Zimbabwe’s mining sector, this contribution is especially profound. Mine workers are the lifeblood of the industry, the driving force behind extraction, production, and the generation of national wealth.
The mining sector contributes over 75% of national export earnings, accounts for approximately 12–15% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and remains central to the government’s vision of a US$12 billion mining industry. Key minerals such as gold, lithium, platinum group metals, and diamonds continue to anchor economic growth. In 2025 alone, gold deliveries exceeded 30 tonnes, while lithium production has surged, positioning Zimbabwe among the top emerging global suppliers of this critical mineral.
Yet, despite these impressive figures, the workers who sustain this sector continue to face harsh realities that stand in stark contrast to the wealth they produce. We have witnessed a growing trend where employers, particularly of Chinese origin, are resorting to gun violence when confronted by workers demanding their wages. Some workers have been killed by their employers and bodies dumped in the bush to conceal the crime.
Across large-scale mining operations, workers endure low wages, precarious contracts, and unsafe working conditions. Occupational hazards, including mine collapses, exposure to silica dust, and toxic chemicals, remain a constant threat. Reports of workplace injuries and fatalities persist, raising serious concerns about the enforcement of safety regulations and employer accountability. According to the Chamber of Mines’ 2025 State of the Mining Industry Survey, a total of 89 fatal incidents were reported between January and October. There is a high possibility a significant number of fatalities were unreported. Many workers lack adequate protective equipment and access to essential services such as healthcare, insurance, and pensions.
The situation is even more precarious in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, which has become a critical pillar of mineral production and employment. ASM is estimated to employ over 500,000 people directly, supporting the livelihoods of more than 1.5 million Zimbabweans. Notably, artisanal miners contribute over 60% of the country’s gold output, making them indispensable to national production.
However, as workers, artisanal miners continue to operate within an opaque system that exposes them to multiple, overlapping vulnerabilities. Many lack formal recognition and legal protection, leaving them susceptible to harassment, forced displacement, and exploitation by politically exposed criminal networks. Their working conditions are often extremely hazardous, characterised by un-inspected mine shafts, minimal or no protective equipment, and frequent exposure to dangerous substances such as mercury. Limited access to finance, appropriate technologies, and formal markets forces many artisanal miners into dependency on exploitative middlemen and informal trading networks that erode their earnings. At the same time, mining sites are increasingly marked by conflict and violence, driven by competition over mineral claims and weak governance systems. Within this already fragile environment, women miners face even greater marginalisation through discrimination, unsafe conditions, and exclusion from decision-making processes, further deepening inequality within the sector.
There remains a glaring disconnect between the immense wealth generated by mining and the lived realities of workers and communities. While production increases and revenues grow, many workers continue to live in poverty, and mining communities face environmental degradation, poor infrastructure, and limited public services.
Mine workers, both in large-scale operations and artisanal settings, are not merely participants in the sector. They are its foundation. Without their labour, there is no extraction, no exports, and no economic growth.
On this International Workers’ Day, we call for:
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- Recognition of mining workers as the backbone of the economy, with fair wages and secure employment and social protection systems, including healthcare, pensions, and insurance.
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- Strengthened enforcement of occupational health and safety standards across all mining operations.
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- Thorough investigation into cases of assault and murder of workers by the employees
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- A review of access to firearms by employers in the mining sector. We call on government to ensure firearms in the mines are carried by security companies properly trained on when to use firearms.
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- Formalisation and protection of artisanal and small-scale miners as workers, including access to legal rights, safer technologies, and fair markets.
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- Gender-responsive policies that address the unique challenges faced by women in mining.
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- Transparency and accountability in the management of mineral revenues, to ensure equitable benefit-sharing.
A just and responsible mining sector cannot be built on violence and exploitation. As Zimbabwe continues to expand its extractive industries, it must centre the dignity, rights, and wellbeing of the workers who power the sector.
On this International Workers’ Day, we reaffirm our commitment to amplifying the voices of mining workers and advocating for a future where the wealth beneath the ground translates into justice above it.
For more details, please contact.
Centre for Natural Resource Governance
(CNRG) Information Department,
Email: info@cnrgzim.org
Cell: +263 786 913 423
Twitter: @CNRG_ZIM
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cnrgzim
Website: https://cnrgzim.org/