Report by Andwatch Mambo
Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association [ZELA] has partnered School of Mines in the training of 36 Small-scale miners with aim of building capacity in as far as safety health is concerned.
The programs commenced Monday this week at School of Mines at its Training center in Bulawayo, and a number of miners from different provinces attended.
ZELA came up with such a program a few years ago, of promoting sustainable and responsible mining in the Artisanal mining small sector, and it was through this program that the organization thought of empowering miners with First Aid and Rescue teams capacity building programmes.
The project gave a major opportunity to Zimbabwe Safety Health and Environmental Council [ ZIMSHEC] as it was tasked with an opportunity to present its members as the first priorities to receive the training.
ZIMSHEC’s opportunity to receive trainings comes after the Deputy Minister of miners urged ZIMSHEC to come up with Proto-teams in the Midlands Province.
In an interview with Zim Morning Post, ZELA’s Extractive industry Program lead, Joyce Machiri said that we were excited when miners saw the need to come up with their own programs that they can actually drive on their own and thus where they birthed ZIMSHEC.
“The Birth of ZIMSHEC, is a very notable achievement for us, because we see that the trainings, and the capacity building the knowledge that we have gave them in past years has been put to use, and same goes with this training, we just saw that it would be good to support them in their Action plans and their work plans”. Said Machiri
She further said that, ZIMSHEC is rolling out SHE issues within the Artisanal small-scale mining in Zimbabwe and hence they deserve our support.
“ZIMSHEC approached us saying can you assist us in building the capacity and facilitating this process of coming up with the proto-teams to respond to issues of accidents in the mining sector”. Said Machiri
Machiri Further said that, these trainings are crucial to ZIMSHEC, as its mandate is driven by Safety Health and Environment [SHE] issues and thus we expect them to put to use the knowledge that they are receiving.
“The whole nation expects ZIMSHEC, to grow and deliver its mandate, mainly of ensuring that there is safety in the mining activities by the miners, ensuring that workers are safe, ensuring that the Health of the workers is safe”
“There is a very negative notion about the Artisanal small-scale miners, to say mainly they degraded the environment, we expect them to rehabilitate the environment to be able to take care of the Environment”.
