Zimbabwe

FileA Sociological Survey of Small-scale Artisanal Gold Mining in the Kadoma-Chakari Area
Small-scale artisanal gold mining is a growing sector in Zimbabwe whose effects cannot be ignored. In the Kadoma-Chakari area this sector has significantly increased since the 1990’s. This can be linked with the downscaling of mining operations of the main mine in the area, Dalny Mine owned by Falcon Gold. This left the greater community in the area unemployed and as a means of survival most are engaged in small-scale gold mining as a self-employment drive to sustain their livelihoods.
FileHealth Assessment in Kadoma, Zimbabwe Final Report
Kadoma is a typical small-scale mining area with approximately 235,000 inhabitants in the Midlands in Zimbabwe. Artisanal small-scale miners use mercury to extract gold from the ore. It is estimated that approximately a few hundred thousand people work and live in similar small scale mining communities all over Zimbabwe. In the selected area there is no clean and safe drinking water, no waste disposal for the toxic mercury or any other waste or human discharge. Hygienic standards are extremely low and are a reason for many infectious diseases such as diarrhoea, malaria and parasitism.
FileActivities in Zimbabwe 2002-2007 Final Report
It is axiomatic that throughout the world artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is driven by poverty. This is especially the case in Zimbabwe, where 80% of the population is unemployed, with most people living in conditions of extreme poverty. Mining can produce environmental and health risks but also significant contributions to low income communities and the economy, and there is a growing need for development assistance in this sector in Zimbabwe.
FileEquipment Specification for the Demonstration Units in Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, it is estimated that there are between 300,000 and 400,000 artisanal gold miners sustaining the livelihood of at least 2 million people. There are 200 registered “formal” large to medium-scale gold mines and thousands of small-scale gold operations producing, according to the official statistics, up to 5 tonnes of gold annually. This production from a large contingent of miners seems to be underestimated and most gold must be smuggled out of the country where prices are more attractive. About 20,000 to 30,000 people are directly involved in gold extraction in the Kadoma-Chakari region selected by the Global Mercury Project to implement demonstration units.
FileEnvironmental Assessment Final Report, Kadoma-Chakari area, Zimbabwe
In response to a request from the Government of Zimbabwe and in the framework of the general project entitled 'Removal of barriers to the introduction of cleaner artisanal gold mining and extraction technologies', a contract was signed in September 2003 between the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and BRGM, in order to carry out the environmental and health assessment in the Kadoma-Chakari area. This area is characterised by the presence of thousands of artisanal gold miners using mercury for gold recovery.
FileInformation about the Project Sites in Zimbabwe
The Kadoma-Chakari area lies within one of the largest gold belts (greenstone belts) of Zimbabwe and has the highest density of small scale gold miners, millers and panners of all the country’s gold belts. Geographically, the area occurs about 150 km south-west of Harare along the main Harare-Bulawayo highway and is located within the Zambezi Basin (Fig. 1 and 2). Access into the mining areas from Kadoma City is very good along paved all-weather roads and good dry season roads. The Zambezi Basin and its water resources are shared by eight of the fourteen Southern African Development Community (SADC) states.
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