Authorities in Mberengwa District have urged artisanal miners to immediately suspend all underground and riverbank mining activities as heavy rains continue to pound the district and surrounding areas, raising the risk of mine collapses and flooding.
Speaking to Great Dyke News via telephone, District Development Coordinator Vafias Hlabati warned that saturated ground has made mining shafts extremely unstable.
“Mine collapse is a serious threat at the moment,” Hlabati said, appealing to miners to prioritise safety until weather conditions improve.
Hlabati also called on school authorities to release pupils early when rain clouds begin to build up, saying delays could force children to cross flooded rivers, putting their lives at risk.
The warning comes against the backdrop of recent mining tragedies linked to heavy rainfall. On 17 January 2026, a shaft at Hebenia Mine in Filabusi, Matabeleland South, collapsed, trapping three people underground — two miners and the wife of one of them. The shaft, estimated to be 11 metres deep, caved in while the woman was preparing food near the site. Rescue teams, including the Zimbabwe Republic Police, have been working around the clock, but operations have been hampered by unstable ground and tonnes of soil blocking access.
The incident has once again highlighted the dangers associated with artisanal mining, where shafts are often shallow, poorly reinforced and vulnerable during the rainy season. It has also underscored how mining accidents affect entire families and communities.
Zimbabwe has previously witnessed devastating mining disasters linked to heavy rains. In February 2019, at least 24 artisanal miners died after abandoned shafts at the Battlefields gold mines near Kadoma were flooded following persistent rainfall, making it one of the country’s worst mining tragedies.
Authorities are urging communities to learn from past disasters and heed safety warnings, as continued rainfall and climate-related extreme weather increase the risks associated with informal mining activities.
