YMF in mining safety drive amid record breaking death tolls
The drive comes at a times when Zimbabwe has been struck by death tolls in the informal mining sector.
According to Chief Government Mining Engineer Michael Munodawafa an estimated 237 death's were recorded, a massive unfortunate leap from 139 deaths recorded in 2022. Major causes for the loss of life has been pinned on proliferation of mining activities in disused mines, safety reluctance, and mushrooming of unregistered artisinal miner's. With 2024 already upon us Young Miner's Fondation (YMF) has taken the initiative to prioritize their efforts on instilling mining safety awareness, emancipate mining capacity and rub off shades of safety reluctance by informal miner's.
YMF Director Payne Farai Kupfuwa told Today News that the plan is already in the channel.
"With so many accidents taking place in various mining areas as YMF we have strengthened our health and environment unit which is also the green mining sector of our organisation. Soon we will start on a rescue operation training so that we equip our miner's with rescue operate team's. We will be doing workshops across Zimbabwe in conjuction with our partners."
Kupfuwa added that the major cause for the sharp shooting of national mining accidents is the influx of unregistered miner's on disused mines. "As Young Miners Foundation (YMF), we are deeply concerned about the mine disasters which happened in 2023 and before. It is a cause for concern for us because the victims are mostly young miners who are our target group. Artisinal miner's should stop working in disused mines but rather start working on fresh mines." Calls have been made for government and the Ministry of Mines in particular to raise exclusive prospecting order's so that young miner's gain access on fresh mining environments.
Failure to get fresh mining pegs has led to the influx of young miner's on perilous disused mines. An inquiry by Today News indicates that young miner's ranging from 18 to 40 are most affected by mining accidents. Though government has already set the record straight on carrying out awareness campaigns and safety protocols questions have been raised on efficiency. Reports indicate that the Ministry of Mines has gone for 5 years without inspection of mines in the country, a fit that continues to cast a dark spell on Zimbabwe's fight against mining accidents.
