Health and safety
Mine health and safety in Zimbabwe
Collapses, floods, explosives, mercury and silica dust: what is killing and harming miners — at small workings and large mines — and what is being done about it.
- Mine deaths, 2025
- 132−29% on 2024
- Small-scale deaths, Q1 2026
- 64+6%
- Q1 deaths from collapses
- 54%
- Artisanal sites using mercury
- 96%
Deaths fell in 2025 but rose again among artisanal and small-scale miners in the first quarter of 2026.
Mining killed 132 people in Zimbabwe in 2025, down from 186 in 2024 and from a peak of 237 in 2023.1,2 Fatal accidents fell 24%, which the Chamber of Mines attributes largely to the Ministry of Mines’ safety drive in the artisanal and small-scale sector.1
The fall has not held into 2026. Artisanal and small-scale deaths rose 6% in the first quarter, and the mineworkers’ union ZIDAMWU has called 2026 a deadly year for miners.3,14
Source: Mining Zimbabwe (2022–2023); Chamber of Mines Annual Report 2025 (2024–2025)
Show the numbers
| Year | Deaths | Fatal accidents |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 139 | 121 |
| 2023 | 237 | 212 |
| 2024 | 186 | 143 |
| 2025 | 132 | 109 |
An accident can kill more than one person, so deaths are higher than accidents.
What kills miners
The ground is the main danger. Falls of ground caused 44 of the 109 fatal accidents in 2025, and shaft accidents another 22 — the only major cause that rose.1 Gassing deaths fell from 14 to 4.
These are the hazards of shallow, unsupported workings: loose hanging walls, no timber or roof bolts, shafts sunk without a second way out, and ventilation that cannot clear blasting fumes.
Source: Chamber of Mines Annual Report 2025
Show the numbers
| Cause | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Fall of ground | 61 | 44 |
| Shaft accidents | 19 | 22 |
| Sundry | 13 | 12 |
| Falling down an excavation | 20 | 11 |
| Machinery | 9 | 8 |
| Gassing | 14 | 4 |
| Explosives | 4 | 3 |
| Electrocution | 1 | 3 |
| Drowning | 2 | 2 |
| All causes | 143 | 109 |
Small-scale and artisanal miners carry most of the risk
When deaths peaked in 2023, the Chief Government Mining Engineer said most accidents were at unregistered mines that the state could not control for lack of resources.2 In the first quarter of 2026, 64 artisanal and small-scale miners died — 54% in ground collapses and a quarter from improper use of explosives or gassing.3
Mines Minister Polite Kambamura has called the deaths in their overwhelming majority preventable, the result of unsafe practice rather than bad luck.3 In the Senate in May, his deputy admitted that inspectors visit registered miners but do not know where the illegal ones are, and Chief Charumbira pointed out that inspectors lack the fuel to reach remote sites.4
- Ground collapses
- Explosives and gassing
- Falls into abandoned shafts
- Electrocution and equipment
- Deaths, Q1 2026
- 64
- Change on Q1 2025
- +6%
- From ground collapse
- 54%
Source: Mining Zimbabwe, 2 Jun 2026
Show the numbers
| Cause | Share of deaths |
|---|---|
| Ground collapses | 54% |
| Explosives and gassing | 25% |
| Falls into abandoned shafts | 15% |
| Electrocution and equipment | 6% |
| Total deaths | 64 |
The rainy season is the deadliest time underground
Rain saturates the ground, fills shafts and softens walls that held all dry season. In January 2026 the Zimbabwe Miners Federation called the flooding a full-blown emergency, and a parliamentary committee member told artisanal miners to stop work and put their lives before ore.5
Small workings rarely have pumps that can dewater a flooded shaft, so rescues are slow and often become recoveries. The collapses keep coming outside the rains too: three miners died in Chinhoyi in July and three in Mutare in August.9,10
Source: police and press reports listed under Sources
Show the numbers
| When | Where | Deaths | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2025 | Starlake Mine, Mazowe | 6 | hoist bucket fell down a 45 m shaft |
| Nov 2025 | Silobela | 7 | shaft flooded by heavy rain — feared dead |
| Dec 2025 | Stewart 3 Mine, Chegutu | 7 | shaft collapse; four more injured |
| Jan 2026 | Hebenia Mine | 3 | collapse in saturated ground, including a miner’s wife |
| Jul 2026 | Rowdy Boys 4 Mine, Chinhoyi | 3 | collapse 100 m underground; one still missing |
| Aug 2026 | Premier Central, Mutare | 3 | 20 m shaft collapse |
A selection of incidents reported between July 2025 and August 2026, not a complete list.
Mercury: the slow hazard
Most artisanal gold is still recovered by amalgamating it with mercury and burning the mercury off. A 2025 UN Environment Programme assessment found 96% of artisanal gold processing sites still use it, and the sector uses more than 50 tonnes a year.11 Mercury vapour damages the lungs, kidneys and nervous system, and it is most dangerous to unborn children.11
Zimbabwe ratified the Minamata Convention in 2017, but mercury is still sold on the black market.11 The UN-backed planetGOLD programme is working with about 7,500 miners in 11 districts to move them onto mercury-free methods.12
Each square is 1% of artisanal gold processing sites. Gold: still using mercury. Green: mercury-free.
- Mercury used a year
- 50+ tonnes
- People in artisanal gold
- 300,000+
- planetGOLD target
- 4.85 t avoided
Source: Daily Maverick, 2 Jun 2026 (UNEP 2025 assessment); planetGOLD Zimbabwe
Show the numbers
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Processing sites using mercury | 96% | UNEP 2025 assessment, via Daily Maverick |
| Mercury used by artisanal gold mining | more than 50 tonnes a year | Daily Maverick |
| Mercury released by artisanal gold mining | 24+ tonnes a year (estimate) | planetGOLD |
| People working directly in artisanal gold | 300,000+ | planetGOLD |
| planetGOLD project reach | 7,500 miners, 11 districts; 4.85 t of mercury avoided | planetGOLD |
Estimates of how much mercury is used and released differ between sources; both are shown.
Dust, silicosis and TB
Dry drilling, crushing and milling fill small workings with silica dust. Screening of 514 artisanal gold miners in the Midlands and Matabeleland South found silicosis in 11.2% of those screened and tuberculosis in 4.0%, with nearly a quarter also living with HIV, which makes TB far more likely.13
Silicosis cannot be cured and can take years to show. Wet drilling, water sprays on crushers, dust masks rated for silica, and regular chest screening are the practical defences.
Source: Moyo et al., IJERPH 2021
Show the numbers
| Condition | Cases | Screened | Prevalence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silicosis | 52 | 464 | 11.2% |
| Tuberculosis | 17 | 422 | 4.0% |
| Silico-tuberculosis | 10 | 464 | 2.2% |
| HIV | 90 | 373 | 23.5% |
Zvishavane, Gweru, Insiza and Gwanda districts, October 2020 to January 2021.
Large-scale mines: systems work, but not always
Large operators run certified safety management systems, employ qualified mine managers and blasters, and report their injury rates to shareholders. Zimplats recorded no fatalities and two lost-time injuries in the six months to December 2025.15 The Chamber of Mines runs safety audits and national first aid and mine rescue competitions.1
Systems do not make accidents impossible. At Caledonia’s Blanket Mine, a widow’s compensation claim over her husband’s death in a 2022 underground accident was allowed to proceed by the High Court in September 2026.16 ZIDAMWU wants every fatality investigated transparently and has accused some mine managements of cover-ups.14
- Fatalities
- 0
- Lost-time injuries
- 2
- Lost-time injuries per million hours
- 0.22
- Safety certification
- ISO 45001
Blanket Mine, Gwanda
A fitter died in February 2022 when a loader’s brakes allegedly failed on a 157 m decline. In September 2026 the High Court in Bulawayo let his widow’s US$335,966 claim proceed.
Source: Zimplats half-year report; Nehanda Radio, 1 Sep 2026
Show the numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Lost-time injuries | 2 |
| Lost-time injury frequency rate | 0.22 per million man-hours |
| Certification | ISO 45001:2018 |
Tailings dams and cyanide
The biggest risk a processing plant poses to its neighbours is its tailings dam. In April 2024 cyanide from Eureka Mine reached the Dande River and pumping was suspended; on New Year’s Day 2025 rain broke Cambria 4 Mine’s tailings dam and cyanide was found in a stream feeding the Shashe.17,18
In June 2026 the minister said some tailings dams were a disaster waiting to happen and some open pits were completely unsecured, and set up an environment department in the ministry to oversee them.19,20
Source: Zimbabwe Situation, Mining Zimbabwe, Mining Zimbabwe
Show the numbers
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 21 April 2024 | Cyanide from Eureka Mine’s tailings recycling pond drains into the Dande River; water pumping suspended |
| 1 January 2025 | Heavy rain breaks Cambria 4 Mine’s tailings dam; cyanide found in a stream feeding the Shashe |
| 1 June 2026 | Mines Minister warns some tailings dams are a disaster waiting to happen; new ministry environment department |
What is being done
Government announced a run of measures in mid-2026: a US$2 million enforcement blitz, a 24-hour accident call centre, digital inspections and whistleblower protection, and penalties for managers who fail to report accidents.19,20 The minister also warned that all mine managers must hold the proper blasting licences, and that inspectors caught taking bribes would face the consequences.19
The longer-term bet is formalisation: training and licensing 600,000 artisanal miners through the Zimbabwe School of Mines, and a proposed rule that every small-scale title must have a certified responsible person on site.21,22
- AnnouncedUS$2 million National Safety Enforcement BlitzVehicles for inspectors and district mining officers · 1 Jun 2026
- Announced24-hour mining accident call centreOne national number, alerts to rescue teams · due within months · 4 Jun 2026
- TargetTrain and license 600,000 artisanal minersThrough the Zimbabwe School of Mines · 8 Jun 2026
- ProposedSafety certificate for every small-scale titleA certified responsible person on each site, checked through the cadastre · 17 Jun 2026
- StatedArrest title holders who let illegal miners work their groundSenate, with more inspectors per province · 20 May 2026
Source: Mining Zimbabwe, (call centre), (600,000 miners), (safety certificate), Zimbabwe Situation
Show the numbers
| Status | Measure | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | US$2 million National Safety Enforcement Blitz | 1 Jun 2026 |
| Announced | 24-hour mining accident call centre | 4 Jun 2026 |
| Target | Train and license 600,000 artisanal miners | 8 Jun 2026 |
| Proposed | Safety certificate for every small-scale title | 17 Jun 2026 |
| Stated | Arrest title holders who let illegal miners work their ground | 20 May 2026 |
What this means if you buy, sell or work a claim
- You are responsible for who works your ground. Government has said it will arrest title holders who allow illegal miners onto their concessions, and ZIDAMWU wants claim owners who use artisanal workers to formalise those arrangements and train them.4,14
- Look at the shaft before the assay. Old, unsupported workings, water in the shaft and loose ground are liabilities you inherit with the claim.
- Ask who holds the blasting licence. Explosives and gassing caused a quarter of small-scale deaths in early 2026. A site without a licensed blaster is a site that should not be blasting.3
- Check the tailings dam and the EMA paperwork if there is a plant. Spills bring protection orders, fines and suspension.18
- Plan for the rains. Budget for pumping, and expect some months when underground work should stop.
The paperwork checks are in the guide to buying a mining claim.
Sources
- Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe — Annual Report 2025 (safety, health and environment section)
- Mining Zimbabwe — 237 miners died from mining accidents in 2023 (26 Jan 2024)
- Mining Zimbabwe — Mine deaths rise 6% to 64 in Q1 2026, ground collapses 54% of fatalities (2 Jun 2026)
- Zimbabwe Situation — Fatal mine accidents pile pressure on govt (20 May 2026)
- Mining Zimbabwe — ZMF issues urgent warning as nationwide flooding creates mining crisis (21 Jan 2026)
- Mining Zimbabwe — Six die at Starlake Mine as Mazowe mining deaths rise (20 Jul 2025)
- Mining Zimbabwe — 7 feared dead in Silobela mine flooding tragedy (7 Nov 2025)
- AllAfrica — Seven killed as mine shaft collapses in Chegutu (16 Dec 2025)
- Xinhua — 3 killed, 1 missing in Zimbabwe after mine collapses (19 Jul 2026)
- NewZimbabwe — Three artisanal miners killed in Mutare shaft collapse (26 Aug 2026)
- Daily Maverick — Weak enforcement drives mercury use among Zimbabwe’s artisanal miners (2 Jun 2026)
- planetGOLD — Zimbabwe country programme
- Moyo et al. — Tuberculosis and silicosis burden in artisanal and small-scale gold miners in Zimbabwe, IJERPH (2021)
- The Herald — 2026 a deadly year for miners, says ZIDAMWU (1 Jun 2026)
- Zimplats Holdings — Half-year report to 31 December 2025 (26 Feb 2026)
- Nehanda Radio — Caledonia’s Blanket Mine loses bid to shut down US$336,000 death claim (1 Sep 2026)
- Zimbabwe Situation — Major river cyanide poisoning crisis deepens (28 Apr 2024)
- Mining Zimbabwe — EMA urges responsible mining after tailings spill pollutes Shashe River (14 Jan 2025)
- Mining Zimbabwe — Unsafe tailings, corruption and illegal appointments in spotlight as minister vows crackdown (1 Jun 2026)
- Mining Zimbabwe — Kambamura launches 24-hour mining accident response call centre (4 Jun 2026)
- Mining Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe targets training and licensing of 600,000 artisanal miners (8 Jun 2026)
- Mining Zimbabwe — ZSM proposes mandatory safety certificate for all small-scale title holders (17 Jun 2026)
This page reports published figures and news; it is not safety or medical advice. For an accident, call the police and the nearest Provincial Mining Director’s office.