How Redwing Mine descended into a death trap

BY OWEN GAGARE

MZI Khumalo’s Redwing Mine, part of a group of Zimbabwean mines owned by Metallon Corporation, has turned into a giant, chaotic artisanal mining operation where more than 100 artisanal miners have died since 2020, according to reports from civil society organisations.

Metallon  Corporation acquired Redwing Mine in October 2002 as part of a portfolio mineral assets from Lonmin, before embarking on a profitable venture at the mine where underground mining dates back to 1889.

Redwing has had its fair share of problems including flooding which resulted in the mine being closed at the height of Zimbabwe’s hyper-inflation period in 2008. it resumed operations in 2015 after completing a dewatering exercise amid high hopes. The company projected that production would rise from 10 000 ounces of gold in 2015 to 111 000 ounces of gold per year by 2019. 

The projections however proved to be a pie in the sky. Political vultures soon circled on Redwing when the company hit turbulent air and was placed under corporate rescue by the High Court in July 2020.

This was after workers’ unions and creditors successfully sued for failure to honour wages and contractual payments amounting to millions of US dollars.

Under High Court 2619/19, company creditors Shatirwa Investments sued Metallon Gold, Gold Field of Mazowe and Goldfields of Shamva claiming it was owed US$6 394 232.

The Associated Mine Workers’ Union of Zimbabwe (AMWUZ) filed a separate suit against Metallon Gold and Redwing Mine. As a result, the High Court sitting at Mutare in case number HC 99/19 handed down on 23 July 2020 placed Redwing under corporate rescue.

Scott Sakupwanya, a Zanu PF legislator who is very close to President Emmerson Mnangagwa annexed the mine under an opaque Tributary Agreement controversially facilitated by Redwing’s interim corporate rescue partner. The Tributary Agreement allowed Betterbrands to acquire 132 mining claims previously owned by Redwing, enabling a partnership with middlemen and sponsors, to bring in artisanal miners for a share of the profits.

The corporate rescuer also contracted Prime Royal Mining (PRM) to run the mine during business rescue. 

This contract allowed artisanal mining and the terms allocated Redwing Mine and PRM to each receive 30% of the profits. Artisanal miners were allocated the remaining 40% of the profits. 

RPM established a milling plant at the Redwing Mine site where artisanal miners would bring ore extracted from their individual mining pits scattered throughout the area to be processed. This set up effectively integrated the small-scale artisanal mining operations into a more formalised mining arrangement, in spite of environmental and safety concerns. 

To further complicate the power dynamics on the mine, Zanu PF activists have claimed sections of the mine under the guise of an empowerment initiative. 

Artisanal miners, residents and civil society organisations say military personnel and police officers are also involved in informal operations and are accused of taking bribes to ensure investigations into deaths and mining violations are not stopped.

Although Redwing emerged out of corporate rescue in 2022 following a Supreme Court ruling, Metallon has not been able to regain control. Metallon, last year announced it was partnering the Nasdaq listed American special purpose acquisition company, Hennessy Capital Investment Corp. VI , to raise capital under a newly formed entity, Namib Minerals (Namib), on the Nasdaq.

The partnership was among other things meant to ensure that sustainable mining is re-introduced at Redwing and Mazowe mines which are owned by Metallon, but this has not happened.

In fact, Metallon workers have joined artisanal mining and have been allocated a section of the mine.

A visit to the mine in January established that artisanal mining is flourishing while deaths continue, despite the mine being closed twice over the last three years, over safety reasons.

Mine closure and impunity

The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) closed Redwing in January 2023 following an outcry over rising fatalities. 

Betterbrands issued the following statement through its mine general manager, Cuthbert Chitima after the closure: “Betterbrands Mining hereby advises its valued stakeholders that all surface mining operations shall be suspended with immediate effect, mainly due to concerns regarding the increased number of fatalities, environmental degradation, and constrained access controls.”

Operations at the mine, however resumed in April without any meaningful action being taken.

A year later, another shutdown was ordered when 15 miners were trapped in a collapsed shaft in an area called Tsapaota, known for unstable ground.

A letter dated 5 January 2024 addressed to Redwing and Betterbrands management from the Manicaland Provincial Mining Director’s office set out the reasons for the mine’s closure and a list of what needed to be done to “prevent reoccurrence” including: 

·      The current mining method of shallow pits does not meet mining standards, such as maintaining a 35-metre distance between shafts.

·      Mining shafts are not properly equipped or supported to prevent collapse.

·      Tribute/contract mining lacks adequate oversight and needs to be revisited for a more manageable arrangement.

·      There are no updated surface and underground plans as required by Section 78 of S1 109 of 1990, which should include details of shafts, boundaries, infrastructure, and contours.

The provincial mining directorate also raised concerns about “lack of access control” and “improper clocking in and clocking out,” which violate the Mining Management and Safety Regulations (S1 109 of 1990), requiring the mine manager to implement a system to track personnel working underground.

The letter, co-signed by provincial mining inspector Nomsa Mukudzavu and mining engineer Vimbai Dzikiti, had little effect. The mine reopened two months later in March without concerns being addressed.

A year later, The NewsHawks’ visit to the mine confirmed that none of the mandated safety or environmental measures had been implemented. For instance, some shafts were as close as 5 to 10 metres apart, far below the recommended 35 metres, while contract mining proceeded without interruption. 

The NewsHawks team was able to walk freely in and out of the mining area, highlighting the complete lack of oversight. 

Furthermore, no safety regulations or standard operating procedures, as required by the government in the 2024 safety review, have been enforced at Redwing. The journalists also witnessed first-hand the use of excavators in the Tsapaota area by Zanu PF functionary Jet Lin.

The NewsHawks sent detailed questions to Sakupwanya, Chitima and Betterbrands managers on 18 February, but at the time of going to press, he had not responded.

The NewsHawks also sent a detailed list of questions to Mines Minister Winston Chitando and the ministry’s permanent secretary Pfungwa Kunaka on 11 February but they did not respond.

EMA spokesperson Amkela Sidange assured The NewsHawks that the agency is closely monitoring mining activities at Redwing to ensure compliance with environmental regulations. “We are conducting regular inspections to monitor compliance, issuing orders to the mine to address any environmental non-compliance, and collaborating with other stakeholders,” said Sidange.

She acknowledged issues leading to the mine’s temporary closure two years ago still persist, including breaches in environmental rehabilitation. 

Sidange added: “We will continue to work closely with the mine to ensure they meet the required environmental standards.”

James Mupfumi, director of the Centre for Research and Development (CRD), questions why nothing has changed since Redwing came out of business rescue and mining operations returned to Metallon Gold which promised that it was working to resuscitate regulated, underground mining operations. He questions why other companies, political elites and individuals not connected to Metallon in any way, are still working the site as artisanal miners.

“There are companies like Betterbrands still operating shallow open-pit mining, where environmental degradation is ongoing and where lives continue to be lost due to mining operations that do not comply with safety standards. People are still dying in those open pits,” states Mupfumi, who estimates that there are between 2 000 and 3 000 open pits still operating in the area. 

“So, the situation remains the same, shallow open-pit mining continues, and underground mining has yet to start.”

Gold Leakages

The CRD states that over 700 illegal hammer mills and cyanidation tanks in the Penhalonga area are processing gold ore illegally from the mine, highlighting how much gold Metallon is losing from its Redwing Mine.

The NewsHawks observed youths smuggling ore from Redwing to these illegal mills, with “ngamera” (carriers) tasked with moving the ore. Mupfumi explained that many sponsors prefer using illegal hammer mills to avoid sharing profits with Betterbrands or Metallon, leading to smuggling.

A visit to Redwing revealed multiple hammer mills, with operators admitting to paying police officers weekly to operate without a license. “Some police officers came and counted the hammer mills. So, what we do is pool our resources together, $10 per hammer mill, and give it to the police officer who comes to collect,” said one operator. 

Mupfumi emphasised: “All those hammer mills are illegal. Some small-scale miners are registered, but all the hammer mills in Penhalonga are illegal. They are not registered with the Ministry of Mines, so they are not legitimate small-scale miners.”

Artisanal miners said they were told by Zanu PF officials during a meeting at Redwing Mine on 6 January that they were free to take their gold ore to any mill. According to artisanal miners, Misheck Mugadza, Minister of State for Manicaland, chaired the meeting although he denies approving the use of unregistered mills. 

“I support formalised mining at Penhalonga, but I cannot comment on what is happening at the mine until the Ministry of Mines comments. It’s a lie that I encouraged people to use illegal hammer mills. I can’t support chaotic activities,” Mugadza told The NewsHawks.

The police did not respond to questions sent on 13 February. 

This story was produced in collaboration with the IJ Hub.