BY NATHAN GUMA
BEFORE the sun rises over Mazowe in the Njanji area, Anesu Gomba is already on her feet, rousing three children, cooking a simple breakfast, and preparing them for school.
By the time most of the town is stirring, she is at the mining site, one of the few women among a sea of men.
Here, the air is thick with dust from crushed rock, but there are no masks to filter it, no gloves to protect hands scarred by constant contact with ore.
While the men dig for the gold, the women, like Anesu, clean it in wooden tray-like containers, which is their source of livelihood.
This illustrates the harsh reality that women, who are venturing into artisanal mining in Zimbabwe, have to endure as they struggle to survive in a male-dominated area.
“We are the cleaners. The men, the proper miners, they bring out the ore from the pits. Our job is to take that rock and crush it, then wash it and pan it to separate the gold dust. But we don’t work by the river. The river is far from here,” Anesu says.
Protective clothing is a luxury they cannot afford, yet, despite the harshness, Anesu labours tirelessly, driven by the small victories of feeding her children and the hope of a rare, good day’s pay.
Many are at risk of contracting diseases like TB among others.
Algorithm
A comprehensive mapping exercise conducted by the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), which utilised advanced geospatial analysis, shows that Zimbabwe’s ASM sector provides a critical livelihood for thousands but is plagued by severe challenges, including minimal health access, widespread informality, and profound gender disparities.
The exercise identified 7,012,582 people across eight countries engaged in ASM, with Zimbabwe featuring prominently in the study.
Across 17 artisanal mines in the country, most workers were found to be at high risk as they work without protective equipment.
Occupational Health Crisis Exposed
The mapping exercise highlighted major health vulnerabilities, particularly Tuberculosis (TB) and occupational lung diseases.
In Zimbabwe, only 7.7% of ASM workers sought TB care, yet 28.6% of those screened were diagnosed. Geographic barriers further hinder access, with miners travelling long distances to district or central hospitals for screening, often beyond the WHO-recommended seven kilometres.
Difficulties in Legal Registration
While ASM is legally recognised, Zimbabwe’s licensing processes remain stringent, leaving many operations vulnerable.
On average, 85% of ASMs were legally registered, higher than neighbouring countries, yet the sector remains largely male-dominated.
Gender Disparity
Women face legal, administrative, and socio-cultural barriers that restrict participation. Zimbabwe recorded the fewest female respondents at 2.5%, far below the global estimate of 30%.
The Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) however says that the government is in the process of formalising artisanal miners through the Mines and Minerals Bill which will ease registration.
“We become rewarded and be in a position to get grants,” says Henrietta Rushwaya, ZMF president.
“Also, we will have designated areas of operation which will also ramp production. The key reforms which the Bill seeks to bring are simplifying mining titles – where it will reduce the mining titles to three and establish a mining cadastre register to streamline registration.”
A mining cadastre register is a public record of mineral rights, managed through an electronic portal to promote transparency and streamline the mining sector.
It provides an online platform for stakeholders to view and manage mining titles, and in countries like Zimbabwe, it serves as a secure system for registering and validating new and existing mining rights.
In the present system, most women have been relegated to performing ‘light and menial work,’ such as transporting and processing materials, resulting in poor wages as compared to men.
This is true for Anesu, whose main job is cleaning ore while constantly on the lookout for police raiding artisanal miners.
“This work exists in a shadow. The police come often. We have to run, to scatter and hide,” Anesu says.
