Life of ‘makorokoza’

“This is real employment because the makorokoza are employed as workers and they share proceeds from the gold sales with the mine owners. We have also formalised the miners by facilitating equipment for them. The equipment not only assists in extraction but also in terms of accountability of how much gold has been mined. So through this mechanisation programme, it becomes easy to collate what the miners are producing and what they are taking to the RBZ.”

Mr Mangisi said Wanderer Mine delivers between 15 to 20kg of gold to Fidelity every year.

“What is important is that this mine is contributing significantly to the gold which gets to Fidelity Printers. It is one of the biggest small-scale operations we have in the country and it has employed thousands of people. They deliver about 15 to 20kg of gold to Fidelity and this is a figure which is not far-off from the large producers,” he said.

Gold was one of the leading foreign currency earners for the country in 2016, with 45 percent of total gold revenue coming from small-scale miners.

The bad

It is not a secret that gold mining has decimated the environmental structure of Shurugwi. There is a common statement in Shurugwi — the entire town is literally suspended on top of the mines. Although this is bar-talk, the far-reaching effects on the environment cannot be ignored.

Collapsing mine shafts have become commonplace, leading to many deaths undergrounds. According to a geologist who asked not to be named, the mining by the makorokoza is dangerous because they are unable to identify prohibited areas.

“There are pillars which are not supposed to be mined because they are positioned strategically to hold up the shafts. So when you start mining on those pillars, collapse of the shafts becomes inevitable.

“The problem that we have is that the makorokoza are not able to identify these pillars and even if they do, they might think that these are the pillars which have the riches,” he said.

Many gold panners say they lost family and friends who were trapped after shafts collapsed. Gold panner Tinashe Magwegwe said deaths are commonplace in makorokoza lore because loss of life is superstitiously seen as some form of sacrifice which leads to “kuvhura mari”.

“It is common for people in the shafts. I have lost several friends. But in our line of work, death is part and parcel of the business. I don’t know whether it is by coincidence or be design but when someone dies it can be a sign that you are close to hitting the jackpot. Every time a person dies, it does not take time to strike riches,” he sheepishly remarked.

Mining activities also have a negative impact on nearby rivers as the water is contaminated by silt, leaving little chance for aquatic life. Mr Mangisi acknowledged that a lot more needs to be done to formalise the area.

“The process of formalisation is ongoing. What you need to understand is that activities here are now much better than in the previous days when gold panners first invaded the area which was previously owned by Falcon Gold. When makorokoza first descended on the area, it was a freefor-all and deaths were even worse than present. But at least we have ensured that the gold mined here gets to RBZ while also standardising the mining.”

The ugly

Deaths in the tunnels do not occur due to collapse of mines alone, they are also caused by more brutal occurrences.

Murderers and robbers also prowl the underground shafts as they wait to pounce on those who strike riches. Such criminals can stay underground for days, waiting for an opportunity to arise.

Armed with machetes and iron bars, they are known for brutally attacking their victims so that they surrender their gold.

Those who fail to surrender the gold risk instant death. Kidnapping and assault are also common crimes among the makorokoza. Deaths are also caused by vigilante groups who mount attacks on the pretext of hunting for the criminals. Another ugly side of the tunnels is that some bodies can lie underground for several days without being discovered. As such, no-one really knows the true extent of fatalities which occur in the underground mines.

One of the gold panners who preferred HIGH DENSITY MUREWA to be called Kedha Saizi, said he was left for dead after he spent two nights underground when robbers assaulted him before getting away with the gold heist.

“I was beaten up by three gold panners. They used iron bars and shovels and left me injured. They thought they had killed me but I was lucky to survive and was only discovered by other gold panners after two nights. They carried me out of the tunnel and I was able to get treatment.”

Saizi said his rescue by other gold panners was a rare sign of mercy as it is common for other panners to just pass by without offering any assistance.

“It can be ruthless down there because others choose not to assist as attending to another person means disturbing your own chances of getting the money.”

Since the harrowing incident, Saizi says he has quit mining in the tunnels and has taken up work as a driver to one of the shaft owners while harbouring dreams of becoming a gold buyer.