Sunday Mail Correspondent
MS BLESSING HUNGWE NHARARA’S eyes sparkle as she recalls childhood trips to the river with her grandmother.
The trips, however, were not for a picnic, but to mine gold.
She recalls watching her grandmother expertly sift the water with a winnowing dish, the glimmer of gold a promise of adventure.
“That’s when I fell in love with gold mining,” she remembers.
Fast forward to today, she is no longer a curious observer.
Now, as a small-scale miner, she is a powerhouse in the industry and recently addressed the United Nations General Assembly event discussion on Accelerating Women’s Entrepreneurship Development in Africa.
“My contribution to this big conversation was rooted in my experience as an artisanal and small-scale miner, and the leadership role of assisting women miners to organise and make it difficult for policymakers to ignore their concerns,” she says
“We are what we are because of the support from the Government and the large-scale miners who have given us some of their idle claims for us to work on.”
Her presentation in New York focused on five key pillars that are meant to help women miners in Africa.
“Ownership and control of natural resources, particularly land and minerals, is an area dominated by corporate and patriarchal power,” she says.
“There is, however, a silver lining, though. In Zimbabwe, large-scale mines are tributing the mining claims to promote artisanal and small-scale mining.”
Human capital
Supported by her son Panashe Muguza, a recently qualified mining engineer, she says this could help solve the double challenge of formalising small-scale miners through technical skills and address the high unemployment rate among skilled youth.
Her son’s presence and contribution have also boosted productivity at the mine.
“If it is not about networking, then it’s not working. Women require spaces to network, learn and share experiences about entrepreneurship.
“Mining doesn’t scare me,” she says with a grin.
“When I’m on the job, it’s like a second home. This should inspire a solution to solving the double challenge of formalising ASM (artisanal and small-scale miners) through technical skills and high unemployment rate among skilled youth.”
She cited the Delve Exchange for miners by miners as a platform that is meant to bridge this gap.
“Alone, one can go fast, but together, we can go far, borrowing from the wisdom of African elders,” she said.
Her passion wasn’t only born by the riverbank.
Visits to her gold-mining uncles in Kwekwe during high school fuelled her desire for mining.
Further, her journey extends beyond personal success.
Now a champion for women in mining, she is a patron of the Zimbabwe Association of Women in Mining Associations and a former secretary-general of SADC Women in Mining.
Currently, she is the regional knowledge exchange coordinator for Anglophone Africa for the World Bank’s Delve Exchange programme.
Ms Nharara’s story is more than just gold.
It’s about a young girl captivated by the glint of possibility, a woman who carved her own path in a male-dominated industry, and a leader empowering others to do the same.
Financial control
She says although some small-scale miners do hit the jackpot, lack of financial control has been detrimental to the sector.
“It is common for gold miners to hit a jackpot. However, many times, the funds are squandered on luxury cars and beers,” she says.
“The money should be reinvested to enhance mechanisation and diversification from mining. Financial literacy is required. ”
Technology
“Through the Zimbabwe Association of Women in Mining Associations, we piloted the rehabilitation and repurposing of land into an avocado orchard,” she said.
“Thanks to Global Green Fund’s support. 6. A big thank you to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and UNDP for supporting me to attend this wonderful event.”
