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Michael Magoronga, [email protected]

On 17 October, disaster struck in Kwekwe. Six artisanal miners died after the mine they were working in collapsed.

The accident left the Kwekwe community counting losses and questioning the safety of their loved ones, the majority of whom rely on mining activities, directly and indirectly, for survival.

The six miners had reportedly been chucked out of a nearby mine where they were formally employed. Out of desperation to make ends meet, they had to engage in illegal mining, leading to their demise.

The death of the six miners highlighted the need to enhance safety measures and insurance facilities to protect workers within the mining sector.

Had it not been for the Second Republic, which stepped in and financed the burials, it was going to be difficult for families of the deceased to facilitate their burials, as some of the miners had to be transported to Gokwe and did not hold insurance policies.

In addition to mining accidents, silicosis is rearing its ugly head and wreaking havoc in the sector.

Considered one of the world’s most prevalent occupational lung diseases, silicosis is caused by inhaling silica dust usually over many years.

Silica dust is a mineral found in soil, sand and most natural rocks.

Usually confused for tuberculosis, silicosis is characterised by breathing difficulties, nagging cough, chest pains, fever, fatigue and blue lips, among other symptoms.

The disease is not easy to detect and may not show up until in its later stages. The symptoms may be mild at first and slowly worsen.

The disease is incurable once detected and one has to rely on oxygen for breathing.

Kwekwe is a mining town where mining activities, both regulated and unregulated, are no longer a means of survival but part of the culture.

Cases have been on the rise in the mining town with eight lives having been reportedly lost in a fortnight.

The disease has claimed about 28 lives between January and November in Kwekwe alone this year.

Kwekwe General Hospital acting medical superintendent, Dr Bruce Mhondiwa said the institution has so far recorded a total of 28 deaths from silicosis since January with several others being admitted.

“Silicosis is now a major problem, especially among the youths who are the backbone of our mining industry. The death rate is quite high and worrisome. In the past two weeks, we lost about eight lives to silicosis. That is how bad it is,” Dr Mhondiwa said.

Dr Mhondiwa said a majority of the silicosis patients are failing to pay their bills, which usually accrue since most patients rely on oxygen for survival.

Dr. Mhondiwa

He said some patients may spend two years on oxygen concentrators and eventually die, without paying the bills.

“We have challenges in terms of payment of bills because some patients spend more than two years on oxygen and we have to give them due care like food and all the requirements. We also give some patients oxygen concentrators to go home with so that they can spend time with their families. But the problem is that even if we raise invoices, they are failing to pay and I think if there is an insurance scheme to cover them, it would help,” he said.

Given that the miners are faced with uncertainties that are brought about either by disasters or illnesses like silicosis, some form of insurance is required. 

Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) chief executive officer, Mr Wellington Takavarasha said the rate at which disasters are occurring in the mining sector is concerning.

“As ZMF, we are concerned with what is happening especially in the informal sector where they do not take shelter in protective clothing. We are therefore embarking on several programmes to try and curb these disasters. We have courses that are being done in partnership with the Zimbabwe School of Mines so that they can learn how to respond or react in case of a disaster,” Mr Takavarasha said.

He said they have also engaged the Zimbabwe Chamber of Mines, which has a proto-team that can react in case of a disaster.

Turning to insurance, Mr Takavarasha said they have entered into agreements several organisations to supply insurance services to miners.

Mr Wellington Takavarasha

“We have engaged some companies that offer insurance services and we have entered into agreements with these insurance companies so that we can come up with health cards for miners and assist where there is need. We will continue engaging these companies so that we can safeguard the lives of our miners,” he said.

Young Miners Foundation (YMF) chief executive officer, Mr Payne Kupfuwa said the surge in accidents leading to fatalities was a cause for concern.

“As YMF, we are considering engaging our young miners to join insurance policies to cater for such disasters to mitigate the impact of such fatalities. Medical and funeral insurance policies can go a long in assisting when such disasters occur. We have since started engaging insurance companies to see if we can co-create some tailor-made insurance packages specifically for miners,” Mr Kupfuwa said.

Insurance Company of Zimbabwe (ICZ) public relations manager, Ms Ringisayi Batiya gave a synopsis of how miners can tap into the insurance sector outlining the various types of insurance they can consider.

Ms Batiya said the mining sector had problems with adherence and compliance hence low uptake of insurance packages by miners.

“A significant change in Zimbabwe‘s mining sector is the high level of informal operations. Artisanal and small-scale miners often do not comply with minimum regulatory and safety standards, viewing them as cumbersome and expensive. They also tend to consider it as an unnecessary expense, yet very helpful,” she said.

Ms Batiya said given the health risks associated with mining, comprehensive health insurance is crucial.

“Health insurance covers medical expenses for both occupational and non-occupational illness ensuring that miners have access to quality healthcare. There is also group life insurance, which provides a death benefit to the families of employees who die as a result of a work-related accident or illness. It offers financial protection to families who would have lost their primary breadwinner,” she explained.

Another package to consider, according to Ms Batiya, is the Accident Prevention and Workers Compensation Scheme.

“This is a legally mandated insurance in most jurisdictions including Zimbabwe. It is a scheme established in terms of Statutory Instrument 68 of 1990 for the provision of financial relief to workers and or their dependents when a worker is injured or killed in a work-related accident or suffers from a work-related disease or dies thereof. It is catered for through Nssa and most large-scale mining companies comply with the legal requirements for workers’ compensation insurance,” she said.

Ms Batiya, however, said compliance may be low among the smaller scale miners and virtually non-existent in artisanal miners.

She said mining companies also need to consider the environmental liability insurance package, which covers unexpected and unintended damages such as pollution.

Under this policy, cover is provided for physical bodily injury, sickness, disease, mental anguish or emotional distress, damage to property and offsite clean-up costs associated with remediation of soil, surface or groundwater or other contamination.

The other option is the employers and residual liability, which provides indemnity in respect of injury to any of the insured’s employees arising out of and in the course of employment and all sums that the insured shall become responsible.