Zimbabwe Mining Industry Work Carnage: Just a Pointer of the Iceberg
Zimbabwe’s mining sector recorded a staggering loss of 1,216 jobs in 2024 – a 314% increase from the previous year – according to a recent report by the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe (CoMZ).
The sharp rise in retrenchments has not surprised many observers who have closely followed the deteriorating economic landscape under President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration. Despite numerous government claims of economic progress, the reality for most workers has been grim.
Companies have steadily cut jobs while those still employed witness their earnings diminish due to rampant inflation and currency instability. By December 31, 2024, the mining sector employed 49,160 individuals, a decrease from previous years, with 69 mines retrenching staff – up from 42 mines in 2023.
The primary reasons cited for the job cuts include persistent power outages, weak global commodity prices, and severe international currency shortages. While global commodity price fluctuations are largely beyond Zimbabwe’s control, the country’s chronic electricity shortages are a failure directly linked to government inaction.
Since Mnangagwa assumed power in a 2017 military coup, his administration has pledged to address the crippling power crisis, which sees miners sometimes endure power outages lasting up to 18 hours a day. Despite these promises, the government has made little effort to attract investment into the energy sector or reform policies to encourage independent power producers to support the struggling Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (Zesa).
The lack of progress on this front continues to hinder mining operations. Compounding the mining industry’s distress are ongoing currency challenges. Efforts to stabilize Zimbabwe’s economy have repeatedly failed amid official corruption and inconsistent policy enforcement, leaving workers exposed to the harsh realities of economic decline.
Ultimately, it is Zimbabwe’s workers who bear the brunt of these systemic failures. Thousands are losing their livelihoods as the mining sector – once a vital engine of the economy – sheds jobs at an alarming rate. Many argue that the government must move beyond rhetoric and take decisive action to address the root causes of job losses, rather than perpetuating empty propaganda.
Without immediate reforms, Zimbabwe’s mining industry and its workforce face an increasingly uncertain future.
