Zim GBC News | Environment Correspondent
Bindura – A 15-year-old boy has been left with a permanent spinal injury after a gold mine shaft collapsed at a disputed mining site in Bindura, casting a harsh light on the dangers of unregulated artisanal mining and a long-running conflict over land rights.
The incident occurred last week at Plot 9 in the Withington area, a site at the centre of a dispute between the alleged miner, Damascus Chisvo, and the landholder, Arinesu Mwedzi.
The teenager was trapped when the shaft caved in. An adult man who was also in the shaft sustained leg injuries. Both were rescued and taken to a local medical facility for treatment.
Sources indicate that authorities were initially misled about the cause of the injuries, with those involved reportedly claiming the pair had fallen from a scotch cart. This account is believed to have been fabricated in an attempt to conceal the true nature of the mining accident.
The teenager’s family, now grappling with the life-altering consequences of the collapse, says it is struggling to cope. They have publicly stated that they have received no financial or medical assistance from Damascus Chisvo since the accident and are now making an urgent appeal to the public and well-wishers for help.
This tragic event is the latest and most severe in a series of incidents linked to the mining activities at the site. Arinesu Mwedzi, the widow who holds the offer letter for the 43-hectare plot at Riverview, Withington Farm, has been locked in a protracted battle to have Chisvo removed from her property for years.
Documents seen by Zim GBC News reveal a long history of grievances. In a letter dated 16 October 2025 to provincial authorities, Mwedzi detailed the origins of the dispute, which date back to 2011 when Chisvo first approached her with a proposal to mine gold. They later registered the Quad Mining Syndicate, with a specific agreement to mine on a two-hectare portion of her land.
However, Mwedzi states the agreement was terminated due to the syndicate’s alleged failure to comply with critical regulatory requirements. Her complaints paint a picture of an operation flouting the law, citing the lack of essential approvals from the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and the absence of a valid Mining Inspection Certificate from the Ministry of Mines.
Her letter raised serious red flags about safety, accusing the operation of the unsafe handling of explosives and a complete failure to provide personal protective equipment for workers. In a stark warning that has now proven tragically prophetic, Mwedzi wrote,
“These conditions have already resulted in serious injuries and deaths at the site.”
The situation on the ground has spiraled far beyond a single illegal operation. Mwedzi alleges that mining activities have spread far beyond the agreed two-hectare area, acting as a magnet for hundreds of illegal artisanal miners. She claims the land is now overrun by more than 500 illegal miners, leading to widespread environmental devastation, with open pits left unfilled and livestock falling into abandoned shafts.
Despite her repeated pleas for intervention, Mwedzi claims Chisvo has remained defiant, allegedly boasting that he is “untouchable.”
She further alleges that her family has been subjected to intimidation and verbal abuse as the dispute has escalated.
Prior to her appeal to the Provincial Lands Committee, Mwedzi had lodged a similar complaint with the Provincial Mining Director for Mashonaland Central on 25 July 2025.
To her dismay, she says that complaint has yet to result in any meaningful action from the authorities.
Efforts by Zim GBC News to obtain a response from Damascus Chisvo were unsuccessful, as his mobile phone was not reachable at the time of publication.
The latest accident has reignited urgent concerns about safety and regulatory oversight in Zimbabwe’s informal mining sector, where poorly regulated and dangerous operations continue to pose a grave risk to workers and surrounding communities.
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