Tebekwe mine catches Parly acclaims on Shurugwi transformation

By Senior Reporter

Tebekwe mine in Shurugwi recently harvested acclaims from the Joint Parliamentary Portfolio Committees on Mines, Mining Development and Thematic Committee on Gender and Development over its immense contributions in uplifting the Shurugwi community especially women in its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

The joint committee on Thursday convened a public hearing at Tebekwe Mine to conduct an inquiry into the access of women, youths, and persons with disabilities to the mining value chain in the province.

The team toured the mine and was briefed on the mine’s operations, challenges, and contributions to the national economy.
In line with President Mnangagwa’s mantra, Tebekwe Mine’s increased gold production is significantly contributing to Zimbabwe’s national gold target of a 12 Billion dollar mining economy with the mine potentially making it easier to achieve the 100 tonnes annual target.
The mine is delivering at least four kilograms of gold to Fidelity every month. At the recent tour by Parliamentarians, Senator Anna Shiri expressed the Mines Committee’s delight.
“I’m highly impressed with what I have seen here at Tebekwe Mine, we came as Members of Parliament on a fact-finding visit to see for ourselves if women are actively involved in Mining,” she said.

She noted challenges faced by women and persons with disabilities, such as a lack of machinery, but praised Tebekwe Mine for promoting women’s involvement.

“There are challenges faced by women in Mining and those living with disabilities, such as a lack of machinery, but here at Tebekwe mine, things are moving in order, and we have seen that women can do it.Amb Prof Smelly Dube has shown us that there are brave women, so if women could get their claims, the country would move forward with everyone benefiting.”

Senator Shiri, who represents persons with disabilities in the Senate said the objective of these engagements is to identify barriers for women, youths, and persons with disabilities affecting their full participation in the Mining value chain.

The objectives of the engagements are as follows: to identify barriers for women, youths, and persons with disabilities affecting their full participation in the Mining value chain. To access the existing policies and support programs being implemented to ensure that women, youths, and persons with disabilities have opportunities to access mines and the mining value chain.
Lastly, to develop actionable legislative and policy recommendations and interventions that will enhance equal opportunities for women, youths, and persons with disabilities in the mining industry,” she said.

Tebekwe mine’s benefactor, Professor Smelly Dube said the company empowered over 300 local residents to establish mining syndicates and extract gold within the mine.
“We have been working and supporting the local community by giving them areas to mine at Tebekwe mine. Most of these people are youth and women, and we don’t charge them anything, but we encourage them to work for their livelihoods. Most of the time, we support them with mining equipment,” Dube said.
The mine is currently undergoing a major facelift, with plans to invest in modern infrastructure, including a new processing plant with innovative equipment to boost production.

Prof Dube commended the government for providing an environment that promotes ease of doing business, but added that the company is struggling with persistent load shedding and high electricity tariffs.

“We have a challenge of high electricity costs and power cuts. Sometimes we go for a week without power or we get it for 3 hours per day, but the bills remain high at up to $35 000 per month,” she said.

The unplanned power cuts have become a safety concern for the company’s workers who use electrified machines to go underground.

The joint Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Senator Anna Shiri hailed the mining company for its wholesome empowerment programmes to the local community.

She lauded the company for providing “the leeway to the communities to boost their incomes and transform their livelihoods”.

Midlands Province Mining Director, Khumbulani Mlangeni, also informed the parliamentary committee that the province has 9 900 mining claims, with 1 700 pegged for women and 200 hectares reserved for youth in each district to venture into mining.

He added that, of the 298 ZIMASCO claims ceded to the government in the Midlands province, 31 were allocated to women, while 4 were given to disabled people.
The mine has also respect for traditional local leadership and its own employees.
Last year it gifted its employees and chiefs with Christmas goodies.
Chiefs Banga, Ndanga, Mapanzure, and Nhema were the special guests at the event, which showcased Tebekwe Mine’s commitment to community engagement and employee appreciation.
The celebration also saw outstanding and long-serving employees being recognised with certificates and monetary rewards.
Chief Mapanzure expressed gratitude to Dr Dube and her husband, Engineer Mncedisi Dube, for their generosity and dedication to uplifting the lives of employees and the broader community.
“This is a welcome development spearheaded by Dr Dube and Engineer Mncedisi Dube. We have received complete suits, not just for ourselves but also for our wives, along with fuel and food hampers,” he said.
The event also highlighted the achievements of Tebekwe Mine employees.
Awards were presented to Mr Tedius Mugambiwa for long service, Mr Josiah Munamati — long-service and trusted employee award, Mr Jonah Sibanda was honoured for long service and Mr Isaiah Kapedzi was honoured with the Captain of the Year 2024 Award.
Furthermore, the committee aims to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by women and youths in mining across the province.
The mine employs 428 people is spearheaded by Dr Smelly Dube, Mine Manager, has been actively involved in various initiatives, including providing food hampers to the elderly, creating employment opportunities for youth and women, and hence supporting women and youth with mining pits.
These efforts have enabled the community to maintain a decent standard of living, and everyone is benefiting from the mine’s presence.
However, the community expressed their gratitude and appreciation for Tebakwe Mine’s efforts, praising the mine for its positive impact.

“We would like to thank Tebekwe mine for giving us pits to work on and all the support they give us to improve our lives,” said most of the community members in their comments.
Ambassador Dr Smelly Dube, who was present at the event, highlighted the mine’s commitment to its employees and the community.

” We have a job of social responsibility to the community, by helping out those struggling to pay fees, amongst many others.”

Dr Dube said, “We allocated 25 pits to the community people, in those, they are syndicates, so they are approximately 210 people benefiting from the pits. IDs and security have been provided to ensure the safety of community members working on the allocated pits, so that they won’t be threatened by artisanal miners around the area,”
During the discussion, participants raised several challenges faced by women and youth in mining, including a lack of mining claims, limited access to machinery, transportation and land occupation issues. Women expressed similar frustrations that most land is occupied by one person, and investors often exclude them from activities that could improve their lives.
The women also emphasized that they want to work for themselves, not just for others.

The stakeholders also highlighted the Ministry of Mines’ 20% loan allocation for women and youth, but lamented that they were unaware of this initiative until a representative presented it during the meeting.

“It’s frustrating to hear about loans and initiatives meant for us, yet we’re the last to know. How can we benefit if we’re not informed? We need more than just promises; we need action and support,” said one of the women during the discussion.

However, women and youths appealed to the committee and members of parliament to advocate for support to address these challenges and ensure that women and youth in mining benefit from initiatives meant to empower them