ALVINA CHIWANIKA
MIRROR REPORTER

ZVISHAVANE – The Zimbabwe Association of Women in Mining Association (Zawima) yesterday trained and launched a safety awareness campaign for female miners in Zvishavane at Canada 54 Mine.
Zawima Midlands Chairperson Kundai Chikonzo said their main aim is the formalization of womens’ mining activities and their safety.
Most of the women are small scale miners.
Chikozho added that this will serve as a platform for female miners and relevant regulating authorities to share insights and reach common ground.
“As Zawima we have been calling for the safety and formalization of mining activities. We have no doubt that small scale miners are the major contributors to our economy, hence the importance of educating them about safety and health issues.
“Let’s adopt the proactive role instead of being reactive at all times and it is in that regard that we have started training female miners and conducting awareness campaigns in the Southern Region of the country,” said Chikonzo.
Zvishavane District Development Co-odinator (DDC) Darlington Chokere said the number of women in the mining sector is increasing and there is a need to address difficulties that they are facing.
“There is improvement in the involvement of women in the mining sector and a number of issues hindering their participation in the sector. I believe this meeting will go a long way in achieving Government’s vision in the mining sector,” he said.
Tsitsi Mutoro, a female miner who attended the training and awareness campaign applauded Zawima for the initiative.
“We have learnt a lot and I will go and share it with others who failed to get this opportunity. It was an eye-opener for us. It is good to witness women miners being economically empowered because it doesn’t only mean that families become self-sufficient but also the nation,” said Mutoro.