AT least 7 500 people at selected 11 mining sites in Zimbabwe are set to benefit from a project targeted at reducing mercury use by 4,85 tonnes in gold mining activities in the next five years.
Participants will receive support to improve mine management covering more than 76 000 hectares.
The project runs under the PlanetGOLD project, a five-year initiative aimed at reducing the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining and improving the health and livelihoods of local mining communities.
Women Affairs and SMEs ministry chief director Julia Mapungwana called for urgency in addressing the use of toxic substances.
“Women are vulnerable to harassment, sexual violence and other forms of gender-based violence,” Mapungwana said in a speech read on her behalf by the Women Affairs ministry administrative secretary Chipo Kunaka.
She was speaking during the belated International Women’s Day commemorations on working session on gender and child labour in artisanal and small-scale gold mining on Tuesday.
“These challenges necessitate the need for continued advocacy and awareness to promote safer working conditions and prioritise safer mining practices, invest in mercury-free alternatives and enforce regulations that protect women and children.”
The PlanetGOLD Zimbabwe project is supported by the Global Environment Facility and led by the United Nations Environment Programme, in partnership with the Mines ministry and Environmental Management Agency.
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The programme aims to reduce the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, which is the largest source of mercury pollution in the world, while improving the health and lives of local mining communities.
It is being implemented in 23 countries globally.
