A day with the artisans

IT was nearing midday; with the sun giving more than the people beneath it could take. Circumstances demanded regular hydration. Taking a drive from Kwekwe to Mvuma, reminded me — a Hararian — of how much this country is beautiful, far from the cluttered capital.

The Midlands is an odd province, one could competently argue that the weather behaves as if the atmosphere is insulated with zinc sheets.

When the temperatures drop the cold etches straight into bones, when it blazes hot, even breathing becomes a task.

On this day, a few weeks back, we were in Mvuma on the southern edge of the province with a few journalist colleagues seeking to understand the intricacies of the mining sector.

After we had concluded guided tours of mines, which are usually curated as per the miners’ communication strategy, we felt it was also prudent to go and spend time with artisanal miners who have become important contributors in the country` s mining conversation.

As we drove towards them, I tried to recall when last I had bothered to run, not being the fittest of people on the planet, my heart was on cue to beat harder than the rhythm it had maintained in the blistering heat.

Such introspection was important as we had read of multiple hostilities including artisanal miners, `they wield machetes,’ we were warned.

Turning to where they were stationed, on the other half of Athens Mine in Mvuma, they immediately stopped work and came out of their pits.

Surprisingly, they were not apprehensive. The moment we introduced ourselves and what we sought to do, they welcomed us.

We were soon to learn that these were not conventional artisanal miners, they were cut from a different cloth.

The group of about 28 mining syndicates had gotten into a joint venture with Athens Mine where they collaborate in the extraction of ore and the sharing of proceeds.

However, their modus operandi remains the same as any other artisanal miners, the tools of trade are at best basic, and the methods are heavily manual though sophisticated in their own right.

Instead of playing hide and seek, the parties elected to find common ground where they could collaborate in a win-win situation.

“It is a better arrangement that having to sleep with one eye open,” explained Knowledge Wenyevhe who appeared to be the more senior of the crews.

He told us that this was the bush, a deviation from our usual spaces of work no one was going to offer sits, he also warned us against expecting any form of comfort as we spoke.

“It is better to work the whole day, without worrying that someone will ambush you. We focus on the core work at hand but we work calmly because we have armed security provided by the mine. We also do not have to deal with buyers who are sometimes crooks,” Wenyevhe walked us through their operations.

The mine and the artisanal miners share percentages, for everything the miners get they share 50 percent.

On average each tonne of rubble, bears around 5 grams of gold.

From behind the tents where they sleep, was a whiff of curious smelling smokes which curled in the air.

After a while, a quartet emerged, animated with laughter and humour.

As if the herbs burnt, were to summon words, one of the miners, Lazarus George told us of how he ventured into artisanal mining immediately after writing his ordinary levels.

It is the only profession he has known and within the decade he has spent rummaging the belly of the earth for its lucrative deposits, he says he has seen a lot.

He has scars to prove his story.

“I used to do my own thing, working across the province following everywhere rumoured to have gold deposits. For me to settle for this arrangement, I had seen too much, I had a feeling that if I do not escape the gold panning way, I was at risk of death or a serious injury,” he said.

Going 20 metres into the belly of the earth, pursuing the trail of gold is something that requires courage; He explains how he understands the prospect of death but somehow manages to silence whispers of fear.

“I have my drinks and pills that I take. When I do so, I make sure that when I am down in the pit, I am focused and my heart is not beating,” said George.

Despite the mine sending some of its experts to ensure that the pits are safe, artisanal miners are creatures of habit.

There are rituals that surround getting into pits, to them mishaps sometimes signal luck.

“If someone gets injured on site, it is a sign that we will make money that day. When we are leaving our homes, we do not bid farewell to our partners, it spells bad luck. Some did that and did not return home,” he explained.

The manner in which their proceeds are remitted allows them to plan for their money as there is lag time between finding the gold and getting paid for it.

Beautiful tales were told of how some are building houses back home, some were buying livestock while others spoke of plans to eventually buy mechanised equipment to assist their pursuits.

When the time to eat came, we were invited to join in, after contributing to the purchase of the chickens from a neighbouring farm.

Wenyevhe, reminded us of words he had said to us just after our arrival when he said in the bush there are no rules.

It was a coordinated stampede, of men; scribes and miners devouring a pot of sadza and a complementary vessel which had two road runners meant to be shared among a group of between 12 and 15 people.

The intensity of traffic was making it difficult to accurately count participants, it was a tight contest.

It was only after the session that I realised that the sadza was thicker than what is usually consumed in homes, a metaphor of the strife the miners have to endure to pluck out gems from the crevices.

On intervals which on average fall within a month and half, they take turns to go see their families who have grown to understand the nature of their jobs.

All they have in between the times are images, often printed, of their loved ones which they stare at before and after entering the pits.

“It is to remind ourselves why we do this,” one youthful guy who appeared to be in his early 20s exclaimed when we found him tucking away a small picture minutes after emerging from the pit.

Athens Mine is under a company called Duration Gold.

The owners believe that the arrangement with artisanal miners could be replicated elsewhere across the country where reports of tension often emerge between miners and those who run large scale mining operations.

Duration Gold head of mining and exploration, Allen Mashingaidze said their relationship with artisanal miners, though still in its infancy has proven that there can be a sustainable way of empowering youths interested in mining.

He hopes the same can be replicated across the country.

Our hosts bade farewell to us, promising us space if we decide to venture into artisanal mining, an offer some of us took seriously.

Who knows, maybe I will someday trade the pen for a shovel.

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