Sociological survey of small-scale artisanal gold mining in the Kadoma-Chakari area

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A SOCIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF
SMALL-SCALE ARTISANAL GOLD MINING IN THE
KADOMA-CHAKARI AREA.
by
Celani Mtetwa and Soul Shava
DPC Professional Services
July 2003
Global Mercury Pr
oject
Project EG/GLO/01/G34:
Removal of Barriers to Introduction of Cleaner Artisanal Gold Mining and Extraction Technologies

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe i
Executive Summary
Small-scale artisanal gold mining is a growing sector in Zimbabwe whose effects
cannot be ignored. In the Kadoma-Chakari area this sector has significantly increased
since the 1990’s. This can be linked with the downscaling of mining operations of the
main mine in the area, Dalny Mine owned by Falcon Gold. This left the greater
community in the area unemployed and as a means of survival most are engaged in
small-scale gold mining as a self-employment drive to sustain their livelihoods.
The impacts of small-scale mining are either positive and/or negative on the social,
economical, physical and biological environment. Key observations of the survey
were as follows.
• The main occupation in the area is small-scale gold mining (78% of the
respondents are engaged in mining). As a result mining provides the main
income for livelihood sustenance in the area.
• Extraction of the ore by small-scale miners is highly labour intensive and, as a
result, the labour force is predominantly male (88%).
• Amongst the workers, the age range is mainly 20-40 years.
• The academic level in the sample population is good. Most people (52%) have
attained secondary (Form 1-4 or high school) education, 31% have primary
(Grade 1-7) education, while 17% are illiterate.
• Miners are of a diverse ethnicity and the main languages are Shona (spoken by
53% of the respondents) and Chewa (37%).
• Problems associated with small-scale mining activities include drug (alcohol)
abuse, promiscuity and sexually transmitted infections.
• Education is seriously affected as students of school-going (late primary and
secondary school level) age engage in mining.
• Most miners grow their own maize or purchase it from surrounding farming
communities. However most food is purchased from either Kadoma, Chakari,
or brought in by vendors.
• The main water source for both mining and domestic purposes in the area is
borehole water.
• Health facilities are an issue of concern as the nearest health centre in Chakari,
located less than 10km from most mine and mill sites, is not accessible other
than to current workers at Falcon Gold’s Dalny mine, even for emergency
cases. Most have to travel to Kadoma for treatment.
• Tools used in ore extraction are very basic, i.e. picks, shovels, hammers and
chisels.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe ii
• All mills use the copperplate system to amalgamate the ore and are mainly
white owned.
• All mill sites have cyanidation tanks/ponds. These are used to recover gold
remaining in the ore after mercury amalgamation.
• Gold extraction is by mercury amalgamation. Nitric acid is also used in
conjunction with mercury to burn away impurities in the gold. Among the
miners and millers knowledge of the health and environmental dangers of
improper mercury use is high. However most do not consider these risks
seriously and knowledge is not in-depth. Few use protective clothing (gloves
and masks).
• Burning of the amalgam to recover gold is mainly done at the mill sites.
• Gold output from small-scale mining is roughly 5-15 grams per tonne
depending on the grade of the ore.
• Most of the gold obtained by small- scale miners is sold to private buyers or
millers.
• While the sample population might look smaller than requested target of 250
volunteers for the health study, the average household size is 4 people. If each
household is considered as having 4 potential volunteers, this exceeds the 250
participants required for the health study. These are also potential volunteers
for the health survey. It should be noted that most mills are closed for business
on Saturday afternoon and on Sundays. It is therefore advisable to carry out
any studies during the working days (Monday to Friday).

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe iii
Table of Contents
Page
Executive Summary.............................................................................................................i
Introduction.........................................................................................................................1
Public Consultation And Sociological Impact Assessment.............................................1
Scope of Work....................................................................................................................1
Social Scan..........................................................................................................................2
i) Millers..........................................................................................................................2
ii) Falcon Gold Permit Miners.......................................................................................2
iii) Cooperative Mines....................................................................................................2
iv) Individual Claim Owners .........................................................................................3
vi) Individual Non-Claim Miners..................................................................................3
vii) Farmers.....................................................................................................................3
viii) Other Occupations..................................................................................................3
ix) Government Departments.........................................................................................3
Area Surveyed.....................................................................................................................3
Sample size..........................................................................................................................4
Community Structure in the Kadoma- Chakari area........................................................4
Occupations/Sources of Income........................................................................................4
Gender Aspects: Women Involvement in Mining............................................................5
Use of Mercury in Gold Extraction: Mercury Amalgamation.........................................6
Demographic Data..............................................................................................................7
i) Ethnicity.......................................................................................................................8
ii) Age Distribution.........................................................................................................8
iii) Education Levels of Adult Community ................................................................12
Social Infrastructure/Amenities.......................................................................................13
i) Housing......................................................................................................................13
ii) Occupational hygiene/Sanitation............................................................................13
iii) Water.......................................................................................................................13
iv) Health Facilities ......................................................................................................14
v) Education..................................................................................................................15
vi) Diet...........................................................................................................................15
The Gold Mining Process.................................................................................................17
i) Extraction ..................................................................................................................17
ii) Milling......................................................................................................................18
iii) Gold Extraction by Mercury Amalgamation ........................................................18
iv) Gold Extraction by Cyanidation at Mills ..............................................................19
iv) Gold Marketing/Sale...............................................................................................19
Recommendations.............................................................................................................19
References.........................................................................................................................21
Appendix 1: Structured Questionnaire For Community Groups...................................22
Appendix 2: Structured Questionnaire for Women/Women Groups............................29
Appendix 3: Structured Questionnaire for Mine/Mill Owners......................................31
Appendix 4: Information on Respondents ......................................................................34

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 1
Introduction
The small-scale mining sector has grown phenomenally since independence and is an
increasingly significant feature in the mining sector. Its strongest showing has been in
the 1990’s and it is continually playing an important role in economic growth and
development. In Zimbabwe gold mining dominates this sector. The increase in small-
scale gold mining activities can be attributed to their lucrative income generating
potential, which provides a ready means of survival to local communities, more-so
with the country’s erratic rain patterns which makes reliance on agriculture uncertain.
Kadoma and Chakari fall within a gold mining area, hence the prevalence of small-
scale gold mining activities.
Small-scale artisanal gold mining has both negative and positive aspects to it. The
positive aspects include its economic contribution and social benefits to the mining
community (i.e. income generation, employment and support of family livelihood).
On the negative side are environmental degradation, pollution, health problems and
other negative social and economic impacts.
Public Consultation And Sociological Impact Assessment
The strategy adopted for the public involvement process is compliant with the Terms
of Reference for the National Women In Development (WID) Expert/Sociologist. It
features a range of methods of information sharing with Interested and Affected
Parties (IAPs).
Public consultation is an integral component in sociological surveys as it provides
opportunities for individuals, communities, and other IAPs to provide input into the
study.
Scope of Work
The social impact assessment and stakeholder consultation involved the following:
• Social scan to identify and classify important stakeholders and their potential
major concerns and interests.
• Identifying interview areas.
• Arranging interviews with individual stakeholders and stakeholder groups
Objectives of the social scan, public consultation and sociological impact assessments
were:
• To collect data on the structure and demography of the population living in the
Kadoma-Chakari small-scale mining communities.
• To identify types of occupations in the area.
• To gather information on dietary uptake in the study area

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 2
• To provide a detailed description of the gold mining process, in particular
mercury usage.
• To look into the availability and accessibility of social amenities (health
facilities, schools, water and sanitation).
• To identify agricultural practices in the area.
• To look into the status and situation of women engaged in gold mining.
In this study an analysis was done on the mining community, the mining process and
its impacts. The survey looked at mines and mills situated along the old and new
Kadoma-Chakari roads and their communities, the Chakari town community and
social infrastructure/amenities in the area.
Social Scan
Following the social scan, stakeholders were divided into the following groups:
i) Millers
These are predominantly Zimbabwean whites, operating either as individuals or small
syndicates comprising at most of three people. None are engaged in the actual digging
of the ore. Rather they mill the ore brought in by the small-scale miners for a fee.
They all process the resultant sludge from the milling in cyanidation plants which are
said to be capable of recovering about 85% of the remaining gold. Mills are all of the
stamp mill type with the traditional amalgamating copper plate. Most mills have very
few fixed staff compliments, with the majority of workers hired on a contract basis.
The mills operate through out the year.
ii) Falcon Gold Permit Miners
Falcon Gold Mine permit miners are individual miners who are contracted to mine on
Falcon Gold Mine claim sites and sell their gold through Falcon Gold Mine Company
mills. These comprise the bulk of individual small-scale miners from Chakari town.
Mining is unsophisticated using basic tools such as picks, shovels and hammers and is
poorly capitalised. Production is around 5 tonnes of mined ore per household per
month and rarely exceeds 10 tonnes.
iii) Cooperative Mines
These are miners who form teams and work as a cooperative in their mining activities.
In the area only one cooperative mine was identified (DRC Mine in Golden Valley).
Work here is done in shifts and outputs can be considerably high. Besides having
manually operated windlass lifts over their shafts, mining is quite unsophisticated.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 3
iv) Individual Claim Owners
Local individual upcoming mining entrepreneurs (indigenous business people)
dominate this category. Mining undertaken by these is still unsophisticated as most
lack capital to purchase equipment and put in place infrastructure.
vi) Individual Non-Claim Miners
These work on unregistered claims (illegally) or are contracted by registered claim
owners. They are highly migratory, moving from one dig to the other depending on
the quality of the ore.
vii) Farmers
These are found in the resettled farms within the study area. Amongst them some
members were also engaged in mining.
viii) Other Occupations.
In this group are people who earn a living as vendors, radio repairers, mechanics, etc.
ix) Government Departments
Government institutions included: Police, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Mines, and
the Central Statistical Office.
Area Surveyed
The following mills, mines and communities were visited during the study. They are
placed in order of their proximity to Kadoma Town along the two roads to Chakari,
i.e. the Old Kadoma-Chakari Road and New Kadoma-Chakari Road.
New Kadoma-Chakari Road
Ordoff (Halfway) Clinic
DRC Mine
Halfway Resettlement Community
Ryan Mine Mill
Coetzee (Delcia) Mill
Delcia Mine and Mill
Maldon Mine
MPAGRA Mill
Golden Valley Farm Resettlement Community
Old Kadoma-Chakari Road.
Glasgow Mill
Alabama Resettlement Community
De Lang Mill
Chakari Town Community
Blackmore Valley Community

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 4
Sample size
Respondents to our interviews are as follows:
Men Women
90 (78%) 25 (22%)
The survey mainly targeted the mining community in the area. Among all the
respondents most were miners or mill workers, and 8 of them were mine or mill
owners, (the majority being mill owners). In addition to targeting the mining
community interviews were also carried out in surrounding communities (Chakari,
Golden Valley, Alabama and Blackmore Valley).
Community Structure in the Kadoma- Chakari area
The majority of people in the area are miners or employed at the mills. These stay
either at the mine or mill sites or in mining compounds belonging to Falcon Gold
Mine. There are a considerable proportion of resettled farmers who have occupied the
surrounding farms in the area. In mining settlements there are no clear leadership
structures. However in the resettled farms, while there are no traditional leadership
structures, political leadership structures exist.
Occupations/Sources of Income
The main income-generating activity besides mining in the Kadoma-Chakari area is
farming. The distributions of respondents in terms of occupation are as represented
below:
OCCUPATION IN KADOMA-CHAKARI AREA
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
MINING FULL
TIME (34%)
MINING PART TIME
(23%)
FARMING FULL TIME
(20%)
FARMING PART
TIME (21%)
OTHER JOBS
(7%)
NUMBER
OF INDIVIDUALS
It can be noted from the above graph that the majority of the respondents are miners.
Almost all the part-time farmers are engaged in mining (i.e. are part-time miners) and
only engage in farming during the rainy season when it is not conducive to mine due
to the filling up of shafts with water and related high incidences of shaft collapses due
to wetness of the earth. Farming is therefore an alternative source of income and
subsistence for miners. Of those engaged in full-time mining, the majority are mill
workers since mill operations are done through out the year.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 5
The average income in the area is Z$40 000 (US$14.8)/month. Most miners have
families at their rural homes outside the mining area. However transport costs are
prohibitive for them to commute to these rural homes. As a result they tend to resort
to prostitution that is rampant in the mining areas. This can be linked to the high cases
of sexually transmitted infections in the area. This also impacts on the livelihoods of
their family as very little of the money earned filters into the rural homes.
Gender Aspects: Women Involvement in Mining
Women make up only 11% of all the miners interviewed. Mining is predominantly
manual and hence is it is the domain of men. In all the mills visited none of the mill
workers were female and the millers explained this as being due to the manual nature
of the work. Digging by women was however close to the surface (not exceeding
10m) while that done by men could go to depths beyond 30 metres. Gender
distribution in mining activities within the sample is illustrated below:
GENDER DISTRIBUTION IN MINERS IN SAMPLE
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
MALE (89%)
FEMALE (11%)
GENDER
NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS
In some mining households however women were fully involved in mining processes,
including digging, carrying the load, mercury amalgamation and burning of the
amalgam. In the case of the 10 mining women in the sample, most were involved in
all stages of mining and process of gold as shown in the graph below:

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 6
INVOLVEMENT IN MININNG ACTIVITIES BY WOMEN MINERS
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
DIGGING (100%)
CARRYING LOAD (100%)
MERCURY AMALGAMATION (70%)
BURNING AMALGAM (70%)
ACTIVITY
NUMBER OF WOMEN INVOLVED
Though fewer in comparison to men, women engaged in mining play a significant
role in contributing to household income. Since most households are male-headed, it
is doubtful that women have much control over their mining incomes.
Other occupational activities women are engaged in include vending (selling
vegetables, sugar, meat, cooking oil and other food stuffs as well cigarettes at some
mining sites) and carrying out general household chores.
Use of Mercury in Gold Extraction: Mercury Amalgamation
All the small-scale miners interviewed used mercury amalgamation to extract the gold
from the ore. Mercury is purchased either from retailers in Chakari (22%), mill
owners (39%) or from private gold buyers (39%). This activity is mainly done at the
mill sites which all have a copper plate system. All respondents said burning of the
amalgam is done at the mill sites with the exception of one woman who does it at her
home. It was also learnt that nitric acid is used to remove impurities in conjunction
with mercury amalgamation in gold extraction. Most of the miners had burns on their
hands due to the use of this acid without protection. Burning of the amalgam was
mainly done using wood fire.
While more than half the miners (61%) had some prior knowledge of the harmful
effects of using mercury, few (only 15%) used any sort of protection against it and
most handled it with bare hands. This could be linked to the fact that the impacts of
mercury poisoning are long term. Another reason could be that gold mining is the
main source of income and therefore benefits outweigh health concerns. Knowledge
of mercury poisoning is illustrated below:

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 7
KNOWLEDGE OF MERCURY IMPACT AMONG MINERS
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
KNOWLEDGE OF MECURY (61%)
NO KNOWLEDGE OF MERCURY (39%)
MERCURY KNOWLEDGE
NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS
Use of protective clothing (gloves and masks) by miners is illustrated below:
USE OF PROTECTIVE CLOTHING AGAINST MERCURY BY MINERS
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
USE PROTECTIVE CLOTHING (13%)
NO PROTECTIVE CLOTHING (87%)
USE OF PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS
Almost all the mill workers live with their families in the vicinity of the mill sites,
with the greatest distance being 500m. Since most of the burning of the amalgam is
done at the mill site, such household are vulnerable to fumes coming from the burning
of the amalgam to extract the gold. Also highly vulnerable are the miners who do the
actual burning of the amalgam. Since most miners travel 2- 15km to the mill sites,
their households are not as vulnerable.
Demographic Data
According to recent unpublished census data from the Central Statistical Office, the
Kadoma-Chakari area has a total population of 6354 people. Of these 3227 (51 %) are

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 8
male and 3127 (49%) are female. The sample size of this study makes up 2% of the
total population. The mining community is however predominantly male. This might
be due to that most miners or mill workers are young unmarried males. Some male
miners have families staying at their rural homes away from the vicinity of the mining
area. The following demographic data is based on the sample population.
i) Ethnicity
The community in the Kadoma-Chakari small-scale mining area is of mixed ethnicity.
The dominant languages spoken in order of popularity within the sample are Shona
(mother language of 53% of respondents), Chewa (37%) and Ndebele (9%). This is
graphically illustrated below
LANGUAGES IN KADOMA-CHAKARI AREA
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
SHONA (53%)
CHEWA (37%)
NDEBELE (9%)
TONGA (0.4%)
CHIKUNDA (0.6%)
LANGUAGE
NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS
ii) Age Distribution
1) Adults
1a) Mining Community
Most adults in mining community are concentrated in the 20-40 year age group as
illustrated below.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 9
AGE DISTRIBUTION IN ADULT MINING COMMUNITY
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
18-20 (10%)
21-30 (36%)
31-40 (37%)
41-50 (10%)
51-60 (5%)
61-70 (2%)
AGE RANGE
NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS
1b) Farming Community
Amongst the farmers, the dominant age group is also 21-30 yrs as illustrated below.
AGE DISTRIBUTION IN ADULT FARMING COMMUNTIY
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18-20 (6%)
21-30 (39%)
31-40 (22%)
41-50 (11%)
51-60 (8%)
61-70 (14%)
AGE RANGE
MUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS
1c) Non Mining and Non-farming Community
Here as in the farming community the dominant age group is 21-30 yrs as shown
below. Their occupation is quite varied including vendors, radio repairers, mechanics,
civil servants, etc.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 10
AGE DISTRIBUTION IN ADULTS ENGAGED IN ACTIVITIES OTHER THAN MINING AND FARMING
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
18-20 (20%)
21-30 (40%)
31-40 (16%)
41-50 (10%)
51-60 (12%)
61-70
71-80 (4%)
AGE GROUP
NUMBER O
F INDIVIDUALS
The majority of people in the economically active age range (21-40 years) are miners.
The number of adults tapers off considerably in above 50yrs amongst miners. Most
people that are engaged in mining beyond 40 years are mill workers. The manual
nature of the work might be a factor and also that maybe people retire from mining to
do other work or possibly mortality might be high in this community. There are more
people above 40 in the farming and non- mining and non-farming sectors of the
community.
2) Children
The age distribution amongst children shows no distinct pattern in all occupations as
illustrated in the graphs below. It is however concentrated in the age groups 14yrs and
below.
2a) Children from Mining Community
Besides children at mills who do not engage in mining, most boy-children in the
mining community are at some stage in their lives engaged in mining with their
fathers. The majority of the children are of primary school level (5-13 yrs) and stay
with both their parents.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 11
AGE DISTRIBUTION AMONG CHILDREN IN MINING COMMUNITY
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0-4YRS (29%)
5-9YRS (30%)
10-14YRS (26%)
15-17YRS (15%)
AGE RANGE
NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS
2b) Children from Farming Community
AGE DISTRIBUTION AMONG FARMING COMMUNTIY CHILDREN
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
0 -4 YRS (33%)
5-9YRS (22%)
10-14YRS (25%)
15-17YRS (20%)
AGE RANGE
NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 12
2c) Children from Non-mining and Non-farming Community
AGE DISTRIBUTION AMONGST CHILDREN IN HOUSEHOLDS ENGAGED IN ACTIVITIES OTHER
THAN MINING AND FARMING
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0-4 YRS (18%)
5-9YRS (18%)
10-14YRS (46%)
15-17YR (18%)
AGE RANGE
N
UMBER OF INDIVIDUALS
It is difficult to perceive levels of mortality within the community. Mining is mainly
done by the active work group (between 20-40 years of age). It is not known as to
what happens to the miners when they retire from active digging. Most likely they go
back to their rural homes where they originally came from and die there (most people
in the area have migrated into the area for employment reasons and have rural homes
elsewhere in the country). Mortality rates within the sample population staying in the
vicinity of the mine/mill site were said to be very low. Most people claimed that there
were very few accidents that have happened at their sites.
iii) Education Levels of Adult Community
Literacy levels in the area are good, with the majority (52%) of the adult community
members having attended secondary (Ordinary High School Level) education.
Primary education level is from Grade 1-7 and is normally done at the age of 6-13
years. Secondary education is from Form 1-4 or Form 1-6 and is normally done at the
ages 14-19 years. Education levels in the sample community are as indicated below:

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 13
LITERACY LEVELS IN THE KADOMA-CHAKARI SMALL-SCALE MIMING
AREA
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
ILLITERATE (18%)
PRIMARY EDUCATION (32%)
SECONDARY EDUCATION (50%)
LEVEL OF LITERACY
NUMBER OF INDIVIDU
ALS
Levels of illiteracy are however considerable (17%) as shown above. 31% of the
community has primary level education.
Social Infrastructure/Amenities
i) Housing
Workers’ houses at the mill sites visited (with the exception of Glasgow Mill and the
Falcon Gold compounds which have brick and asbestos and corrugated iron sheet
roofs) are deplorable. They comprise thatch, pole and dagga structures that are hardly
suitable for human habitation. At one site the workers are asked to construct their own
housing structures. Resettled farming villagers either had the opportunity of
occupying farmhouses and farm compounds or have built temporary housing
structures. Those miners staying in Falcon Gold compounds pay a rental of Z$500-
Z$1000 (US$ 0.19-0.37) per month.
ii) Occupational hygiene/Sanitation
On all the mine and mill sites visited, lack of sanitary facilities is quite glaring. With
the exception of two mills (Glasgow and Coetzee) that provide basic toilets in the
form of pit latrines and Blair toilets respectively, there are no toilet facilities on all
other mill or mine sites visited. Bathrooms are in the form of grass-thatch surrounded
structures constructed by the workers themselves. Only miners staying in Falcon Gold
Mine Company compounds have the privilege of flush toilets and shower facilities.
They however say that the toilet systems are usually blocked/plugged.
iii) Water
Most of the water used for domestic purposes in the area is borehole derived or
pumped from disused mine shafts, with the exception of Falcon Gold compounds in
Chakari which a fed from dam water. Water is said to be of good quality, however the

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 14
possibility of contamination cannot be ruled out. Workers at mill sites and people
staying on Falcon Gold compounds have easy access to water, which is usually close
to their houses. However for most of the resettled villagers away from farmhouses and
compounds and mine claim sites, water sources can be up to 5 kilometres away.
Fetching of water is primarily done by women who either carry it on their heads or
using wheelbarrows. Exceptions are mine sites predominantly occupied by men where
they have to fetch their own water.
iv) Health Facilities
Health facilities are an area of concern to the community. Despite having a clinic in
their vicinity, most of the small-scale mining community cannot access it as it is
reserved only for current workers of Falcon Gold’s Dalny Mine. They therefore have
to travel distances of 20 to 40km to access health facilities in or near Kadoma. Ordoff
Clinic near Kadoma is the most frequently visited, followed by facilities in Kadoma
itself as illustrated below:
FREQUENCY OF USE OF HEALTH FACILITIES IN THE KADOMA-CHAKARI AREA
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
KADOMA (25%)
ORDOFF/HALFWAY CLINIC (62%)
FALCON GOLD CLINIC (9%)
PATCHWAY CLINIC (4%)
HEALTH FACILITY
NUMBER O
F USERS
The community strongly feels that Falcon Gold Company has neglected its social
obligation by neglecting its former workers who were retrenched after the mine scaled
down its operations. Most of the retrenchees are now self-employed as small-scale
miners. They feel the mine owners should play a role by providing access to health
facilities, particularly for emergency cases. Transport costs to other health facilities
are very expensive and of concern to the community. The cost of a trip to and from
Kadoma, irrespective of distance is Z$2000 (US$0.74).
The majority of cases brought to the Ordoff Clinic are sexually transmitted infections.
There are very rare cases of mine accident casualties. Also common are cases of
malaria. It can however not be established whether the latter are real cases of malaria
or mercury poisoning since symptoms of mercury poisoning are similar to those of
malaria. According to a report from the Small Scale Miners Association of Zimbabwe
(1994, p8) symptoms of mercury poisoning include tremors. These can be likened to

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 15
the fever typical of malaria. This is further substantiated by an article in Horizon
magazine (April 1992, p12) titled “Hidden Death in a Tiny Lump of Mercury” which
sites a New Scientist magazine article. The article states that mercury poisoning can
go unnoticed because the illness is so like malaria.
v) Education
Education facilities include those in Kadoma and Chakari as well those within the
mining sites. Most schools are in the range of 2-7 km away from most of the mining
sites.
Attendance at the schools has been adversely affected by small-scale mining activities
at both primary and secondary level. Absenteeism is quite rife as students help out in
gold digging activities in small-scale mining dependent households, particularly so in
the dry season. This affects both sexes at the schools. This however does not affect
communities living at the mills as there is no case there of child labour involvement in
milling activities. Dropouts are also a common aspect. Promiscuity and pregnancy
feature amongst girls in the community affecting even primary school girls who fail
complete their primary education. Also rampant is drug abuse, especially alcoholism.
Most of the children from small-scale mining households are said to be malnourished
and have poor hygiene. Payment of fees is also poor as most of the money from gold
digging is spent on food. These aspects impact significantly on school performance by
children from the mining community.
vi) Diet
In the sample population, sadza (thick cornmeal porridge) is the most frequently eaten
food, being eaten quite regularly during the week. Most people eat sadza twice a day.
This is understandable as it is the country’s staple carbohydrate source. This is mainly
accompanied by vegetables, which are also eaten two times a day by most people.
Meat follows, though eaten with less frequency (1-2 times a week), then milk and
beans. Beans are mainly consumed when in season. Fish are eaten when in season
(usually in summer) and are usually brought in by vendors from outside the area since
there are very few rivers in the area and those rivers that are there contain no fish.
However Kapenta, (Limnothrisa moidon, a small non-carnivorous fish caught in lake
Kariba that is usually caught and sold dried in packets in shops, is eaten whenever
families can afford it. The choice of relish is largely influenced by cost rather than
preference. While most people would prefer to have meat twice daily they cannot
afford it and therefore consume vegetables more frequently because they are cheaper.
Meat is either bought from surrounding butcheries or brought in by vendors. The
consumption rates of various foods per week are illustrated in the table below.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 16
FREQUENCY OF CONSUMPTION OF DIFFERENT FOOD TYPES
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
MEAT FISH CHICKEN MILK EGGS BEANS VEGETABLES FRUITS SADZA
NUMBER OF TIMES PER WEEK
NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS
1x
2x
3x
4x
5x
6x
7x
14X

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 17
It should be noted that since the main foods consumed are the starchy carbohydrate
source and vegetables, it is most likely that the population might be lacking essential
nutrients, in particular protein. This was evidenced in the sample community where
most people appeared visually undernourished (i.e. skinny).
Mercury poisoning through the diet cannot be ruled out. While most mill workers do
not grow their own crops, almost all the other small-scale miners grow their own
maize and vegetables. Some of them in addition keep livestock and poultry. Most mill
workers buy their maize and vegetables from surrounding farming communities. If
there is mercury contamination in the soil, this will accumulate in the cultivated food
and animals and will in turn be passed on to humans that feed on them.
The Gold Mining Process
i) Extraction
Extraction of the ore from the gold reefs is manual and involves digging it out with
basic tools, i.e. picks, shovels, hammers and chisels. In most instances steps are made
as the people dig deeper (up to 30m) to enable the ore to be moved up by shovel to the
top. However in a few cases vertical shafts are dug, with miners being sent down
using as bucket and rope from a hand operated winch. In such cases digging can go to
a depth of 30m or more below ground level. Due to the manual nature of the work and
the hardness of the parent rock, digging is primarily a man’s task. There were a few
incidences where women were involved in the digging of the ore, this usually to
shallow depths (2-5m). Protective clothing (gloves, coveralls, safety boots, helmets)
was not worn at any of the mine sites visited.
One claim owner said he could improve his output if provided with funding to
purchase requisite technology (mechanical equipment) for mining. This included such
things as compressors, explosives, mechanical mine heads and a mill.
It was observed that in some of the claims buyers/middleman came in as ‘sponsors’
providing tools, food, transportation, mercury and paying for the milling process. In
the end they would deduct all these costs from the miners when they bought the gold
from them. This means that in the long run the miners derive minimum benefit from
the mining process as their profits are heavily eroded.
The resultant ore obtained is sent to nearby stamp mills for crushing. With the
exception of one indigenous black claim owner, all mills are operated by Zimbabwean
white people and the small-scale miners are charged a fee of Z$2500 (US$ 0.93) per
hour for the milling process.
At the mined claim sites most of the disused shafts are left uncovered and mixed soil
heaps left above the ground. New shafts are dug next to the old ones (which are said
to provide ventilation into the new shafts). This leaves behind a very degraded
environment on worked mine sites. The disused shafts are a hazard to both humans
and their livestock. Though there is a new regulating policy on this in the
Environmental Management Act, its implementation at small-scale mining sites is yet
to be seen.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 18
It should be noted that in the Kadoma-Chakari area we saw no evidence of gold
panning activities.
ii) Milling
Most mills are primarily devoted to milling the ore brought in by small-scale miners
with no mining done by the mill owners themselves. Their clients are usually from the
surrounding areas, but some bring their ore from as far as Sanyati (70km away). The
mills are electrically powered and all of them have a copper plate system on which the
gold is amalgamated with mercury.
Miners expressed interest in obtaining mills, as the price of milling is said to be
expensive. However they cited the cost of erecting one and lack of capital as the chief
impediments.
The average load brought to the mill by a miner is roughly 5 tonnes of ore per month.
This yields between 5-15 g of gold depending on the quality and source of the ore.
Most mills will serve any client. However, mills belonging to or contracted under
Falcon Gold only serve clientele that has been given permits by Falcon Gold. The
charge for milling was said to be about Z$2500 (US$0.93) per hour.
iii) Gold Extraction by Mercury Amalgamation
After milling the refined end product is mixed with mercury on the copper plate.
Mercury readily bonds with base metals such as gold, a process known as
amalgamation. The amalgam is scrapped off the copper plate and squeezed in a cloth
to remove unused mercury, which is then collected in a container for re-use. The gold
is then recovered by burning away the bonded mercury. This is usually done at the
mill sites, with hazardous consequences to the miner and mill workers. Retort
mercury recovery had been introduced at one of the mills. However this was met with
a lot of scepticism from the miners who felt they were being cheated by the miller of
some of their gold.
Sources of mercury to miners are wide-ranged. They include suppliers such as
retailers in Kadoma, the millers or the buyers/dealers. It is therefore difficult to
ascertain how much mercury is used in the gold extraction process. The amount of
mercury used also varied depending on the ore obtained. The level of mercury use
however should have risen significantly with the upsurge in small-scale artisanal gold
mining. The price of mercury was Z$2000 per 50g, which was said to be adequate for
the extraction of about 100 grams of gold.
Handling of mercury at the mills is usually by the miners (bringers of the ore) as these
are usually suspicious of the millers cheating them of their gold. Handling of the
mercury is very careless, and is usually done with bare hands. Whilst most
acknowledge the possible dangers of mercury, this danger is not taken very seriously.
This might be due to the fact that the impacts are long term and the symptoms not
easy to identify.
Vaporised elementary mercury is said to be highly poisonous. Approximately 80% of
inhaled mercury is retained. This is retained in the lungs, particularly the alveoli.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 19
Concentration in the blood is said to indicate recent poisoning, while concentration in
urine is said to indicate long-term exposure. Exposure to vapours of mercury results in
chronic poisoning. Symptoms include gingivitis, tremors and personality changes,
kidney injury, and increase in bold and urine above normal levels. The overall
poisoning effect is like malaria and therefore hard to detect.
General interest was expressed in methods that would increase mercury recycling as it
is said to be expensive and also on increasing efficiency of the gold extraction
method.
iv) Gold Extraction by Cyanidation at Mills
Concern was raised by a few of the claim holders/miners that while they did the
digging and paid for the milling, all they got in the long run was gold from the
amalgamation process and not the remaining coarser sand-like sediments which also
contained gold, sometimes even more than that obtained from mercury amalgamation.
They claimed that they were being short-changed by millers who did not do any
digging of the gold but obtained the pounded crude ore on which they then used
cyanidation to extract the remaining gold. Indeed every mill visited had cyanide
treatment (vat-leaching) ponds, tanks or plants.
An analysis of cyanide use in gold mining in the area and related impacts on the
environment and health is recommended.
Some small-scale miners would like to operate cyanidation plants, funding permitting.
However they lack the resources and financial support/backing.
iv) Gold Marketing/Sale
Small-scale miners obtain roughly 5-15g of gold per tonne of gold. The marketing of
gold is through three means: selling the gold to Fidelity Printers (11%), an arm of the
Reserve Bank; to legal and illegal dealers/middleman/private buyers (50%); or legal
millers (39%). Fidelity Printers, a government arm of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe,
buys gold at a price of close to Z$20 000 (US$7.4) per gram. The private buyers buy
the gold at a price range of Z$8000 – Z$15000 (US$ 3 –5.5) per gram. However
private buyers go to the source of the gold, i.e. the miners.
Recommendations
The following recommendations are suggested for the study area:
• Resettled farming communities are politically sensitive. There is therefore
need to obtain permission from ZANU PF party hierarchy in the area in order
to access them. This applies to communities at Alabama, Golden Valley
(Enfield Farm), as well as the Chakari town community. Mill site communities
are easily accessible through the mill owners.
• Most small-scale miners lack financial support to purchase requisite capital
equipment to increase efficiency and output. It is recommended that this
aspect be addressed.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 20
• Environmental degradation at disused mine sites remains unchecked. Miners
should be made aware of the negative environmental impacts, the relevant
environmental legislature, and prompted to take action to rehabilitate disused
mine sites.
• Most miners and millers have some knowledge of the health and
environmental dangers of improper mercury use. However there is a
complacent attitude regarding its use. This might be due to the long-term
effects of these dangers and also the monetary benefits outweighing health
concerns. Awareness education on these long-term effects should therefore be
provided.
• Malaria is said to be prevalent in the area. However, since symptoms of
mercury poisoning are said to be similar to those of malaria it is difficult to tell
whether these cases are malaria or mercury related. Investigations on these
two possibilities should be undertaken.
• While it is difficult to access most mining sites to test human mercury
poisoning levels, respondents can be accessed at mill sites, schools and
shopping centres in the area. Whole households should be considered in the
health study to assess the impact of mercury on food, water sources and the
surrounding environment in the Kadoma-Chakari community and its effect on
human health.
• While there are not many surface water systems such as rivers in the mining
area, the possibility of underground water mercury contamination cannot be
ruled out. Mercury can also accumulate in the ecosystem as well be absorbed
by humans. Tests should therefore be undertaken to assess this possibilities.
• All miners, millers and mill workers are willing to accept cleaner methods of
gold extraction. Relevant training and necessary technology should therefore
be provided.
• Cyanide is used for gold extraction at the mills. Its impact on health and the
environment should be investigated. Also of concern is that millers derive
benefits from the cyanidation process at the expense of the small-scale miners.
The possibility of profit sharing or reduced milling cost negotiated with the
millers should be looked into.
• Nitric acid is used to remove impurities in conjunction with mercury in the
gold extraction process by most miners at the mill sites (and not in the
cyaniding tanks/vats). Its impacts on health should be investigated.
• Women miners have the disadvantage that unlike man they do not operate in
groups or associations. It is therefore difficult to address their concerns
individually. It is recommended that they be encouraged to form groupings in
order for them to have a collective voice in their undertakings. Organisations
and institutions that will work in the area are urged to be gender sensitive and
incorporate the needs of the underprivileged women miners. Technology

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 21
should also be designed to make the work for women lighter, in particular
manual activities.
References
• Small Scale Miners Association of Zimbabwe (1994). Pilot Project Proposal.
A study of mercury vapour poisoning amongst alluvial gold panners and a
solution: Environmental Protection Through Appropriate Technology.
December 1994, Harare.
• Unknown Author (1992). Hidden Death in a Lump of Mercury. Horizon
Magazine. April 1992, p 21.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 22
Appendix 1: Structured Questionnaire For Community Groups
STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS ON
REMOVAL OF BARRIERS TO THE INTRODUCTION OF CLEANER
ATRISANAL GOLD MINING AND EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGIES ON
THE KADOMA-CHAKARI SMALL-SCALE MINING AREA
INSTRUCTIONS TO THE ENUMERATOR
1. Explain that all the personal information respondents provide remains
confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties.
2. Explain that it is important that the head of the household or the spouse should
be the one to take part in the interview.
3. Do not read out to your respondent the alternative answers designed, but give
them the opportunity to come up with their own ideas.
Personal Details
Interview Date ------/--------/03 (Interview done after prior informed consent by
respondent)
Name of Mine/Mill------------------------------. Location------------------------------
Name of Contact---------------------------------. Sex; Male/Female Age: ---yrs
Phone/ Address of Contact-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Name of Enumerator------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Demographic Information
Q1 What is Marital Status of respondent:
(a) Single
(b) Married
(c) Widow
(d) Widower
(e) Separated
Q2 What is the Head of the Household?
(a) Male
(b) Female

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 23
Q3 What is the number and ages of Household members?
SEX AGES
MALE FEMALE
LIVING
DECEASED
Q4 What is the Household Total:
Q5 What is the highest level of education achieved by:
ILLITERATE PRIMARY SECONDARY COLLEGE UNIVERSITY
Mother
Father
Children
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Relatives
staying
With you
1
2
3
4
5
Q6. Where do you originally come from? -------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q7. What language do you speak at home? ---------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q8 What other languages are spoken in the area? --------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q9. How long have you been here? ----------------------------------------------------yrs

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 24
Q10. How long have you been engaged in mining/milling activities? ----------------yrs
Habitat Information (Household Location & Structure)
Q11. How far is your homestead from mine/mill? ----------------------------------
Q12. Do you stay here permanently? --------------------------------- YES/NO
If not where is your permanent Homestead? ------------------------------------
Q13. How many people stay in the homestead?
Men------------------------, Women-----------------------------, Children-----------
Q14. What do you use for toilet facilities?
a) Toilet
b) Pit latrine
c) Blair Toilet
d) The Bush
Q15. What do you use for bathing?
• Shower/bathroom
• River
• Other structures (Specify)------------------------------------------
Occupational activities\
Q16. a) Do you mine throughout the year? ---------------------------. YES/NO
b) If not when is gold mining prevalent? ------------------------------
c) If yes what do you do when not mining? ---------------------------------------
Q17. Do you raise income from activities other than mining? -----------------YES/NO
If not what other activities are you engaged in-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q18. What is your main source of income? ---------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q19. On average what is your monthly income/----------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 25
Q20. a) How many people in your household are engaged in mining? Men--------------
--------Women----------------------, Children-----------------------------------
Q20. b) Is their engagement in mining Seasonal / Permanent? -----------------------------
Q21. What economic activities are those not doing mining engaged in? -----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q22. How much do you spend a month on average on the following?
a) Food
b) Water
c) Rent
d) Health
e) School fees
f) Clothing
g) Transport
h) Energy (firewood/electricity)
i) Others (specify)
Z$
Z$
Z$
Z$
Z$
Z$
Z$
Z$
Z$
What can you not afford? -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Q23. How much ore do you mine per month on average as a household? --------tonnes
Q24. Do you use mercury in extracting you gold from the ore? -----------------YES/NO
Q25. a) If yes for Q24 above where do you get your mercury? ----------------------------
b) How much mercury do you use per tonne of ore/? ---------------------------------
Q26. Where do you process/mill your ore? ---------------------------------------------------
Q27. On average how much gold do you get per tonne? ---------------------------------g
Q28. Where do you burn your amalgam? -----------------------------------------------------
Q29. What do you use to process your amalgam? ------------------------------
fire/welding torch
Q30. a) Who buys your gold? ---------------------------------------------
Fidelity Printers/Private dealers or buyers.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 26
b) What are the difficulties you encounter while selling your gold? ------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q31. On average what is the buying price for a gram of gold? Z$-------------------------
Q32. Are you aware of the dangers of handling/using mercury? ---------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q33. Do you use protective clothing when dealing with mercury? ------------------------
Q34. How do you feel about your current working conditions? ----------------------------
Bad------------, Satisfactory but could be improved ----------, Good-----------
Q35. How can your working and living conditions be improved---------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q36. a) Would you like to benefit from improved methods of gold extracting
technology? --------------------YES/NO
b) Would you accept training for Q36a above? ---------------------------------------
Social Amenities
Q37. What is your Source of domestic water?
a) Rain water
b) Dams
c) River
d) Boreholes
e) Shallow wells
f) Tap water
Q38. How is the quality of the water?
a) Good
b) Muddy
c) Unsafe

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 27
Q39. Who fetches water?
a) Women
b) Man
c) Boys
d) Girls
What is the distance from the water source? ------------------km, or-------------hrs
Q40. What do you use for energy?
a) Fuel wood
b) Electricity
c) Generator
d) Paraffin
Q41) How regularly per week do you consume the following foods?
a) Mealie meal/sadza ---------------------------------------------- times
b) Meat -------------------------------------------------------------- times
c) Fish --------------------------------------------------------------- times
d) Chicken ----------------------------------------------------------- times
e) Milk --------------------------------------------------------------- times
f) Eggs --------------------------------------------------------------- times
g) Beans -------------------------------------------------------------- times
h) Vegetables -------------------------------------------------------- times
i) Fruits --------------------------------------------------------------- times
What are the reasons why you prefer certain food over others?---------------------------
Q42. a) Do you grow your own crops and keep your own domestic animals? -------
YES/NO

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 28
b) If yes which ones do you grow------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
and which ones do you keep? ------------------------------------------------------------------
c) If not where do you source your food? ---------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q43. Are there vendors who sell food in your area?------------------------------YES/NO
If yes what food do they sell?--------------------------------------------------------------------
Q44. a) Do you practise agriculture? -------------------------------YES/NO
b) If yes what type of agriculture? Commercial-------------/Subsistence? -----------
Q45. Are your food sources easily accessible? YES/NO------------------------------------
-. How many kilometres away? --------------------------------------------------------
b) Is food affordable? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q46. Where are schools located?
i) Primary School -------------------------------km
ii) Secondary School----------------------------km
b) Are School fees affordable? -----------------------------------------------------------------
Q47.a) Where is the nearest clinic located?---------------------------------------------------
b) How far is it from your place ------------------------------------------------------------km
c) Are health fees affordable? -------------------------------------------------------------------

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 29
Appendix 2: Structured Questionnaire for Women/Women Groups
STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE FOR WOMEN/WOMEN GROUPS ON
REMOVAL OF BARRIERS TO THE INTRODUCTION OF CLEANER
ARTISANAL GOLD MINING AND EXTRACRION TECHNOLOGIES IN
THE KADOMA CHAKARI SMALL SCALE MINING AREA
INSTRUCTIONS TO THE ENUMERATOR
4. Explain that all the personal information respondents provide remains
confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties.
5. Explain that it is important that the head of the household or the spouse should
be the one to take part in the interview.
6. Do not read out to your respondent the alternative answers designed, but give
them the opportunity to come up with their own ideas.
Personal Details
Interview Date ------/--------/03 (Interview done after prior informed consent by
respondent)
Name of Mine/Mill------------------------------. Location------------------------------
Name of Contact--------------------------------. Sex; Male/Female Age: ---------yrs
Phone/ Address of Contact-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Name of Enumerator------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q1.a) Are you engaged in mining? YES/NO
b) If yes describe what activities you do.
a) Digging
b) Carrying Load
c) Mercury amalgamation
d) Burning of amalgams
c) Are you aware of the dangers of mercury use? YES/NO
d) Do you wear protective clothing when using mercury?---------------------------
Q2.a) Are you engaged in any other chores besides the above? YES/NO
b) If yes state what other chores you do ---------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 30
c) Do you derive economic benefit from the other chores? YES/NO
If yes state how much on average you make per month Z$-------------------------
Q3.a) How much do you receive from mining? Z$-------------------------------------------
b) Do you decide how this income is used? YES/NO
c) If no to the above who decides? --------------------------------------------------------
Q4.a) How do you feel about your current working conditions? ---------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
b) How can these conditions be improved? -----------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q5.a) Do you feel you could be more engaged in mining activities? YES/NO
b) If yes how and where? --------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q6. How many women in your area/site are engaged in gold mining activities? --------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 31
Appendix 3: Structured Questionnaire for Mine/Mill Owners
STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE FOR MINE/MILL OWNER ON
REMOVAL OF BARRIERS TO THE INTRODUCTION OF CLEANER
ARTISANAL GOLD MINING AND EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGYIES IN
THE KADOMA – CHAKARI SMALL-SCALE MINING AREAS
INSTRUCTIONS TO THE ENUMERATOR
7. Explain that all the personal information respondents provide remains
confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties.
8. Explain that it is important that the head of the household or the spouse should
be the one to take part in the interview.
9. Do not read out to your respondent the alternative answers designed, but give
them the opportunity to come up with their own ideas.
Personal Details
Interview Date ------/--------/03 (Interview done after prior informed consent by
respondent)
Name of Mine/Mill------------------------------. Location------------------------------
Name of Contact--------------------------------. Sex; Male/Female Age: ---------yrs
Phone/ Address of Contact-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Name of Enumerator------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q1. When did you commence operation? -----------------------------------------------------
Q2. How many staff do you employ? Permanently --------------------, temporarily-------
Q3.a) How many among staff are married? ---------------------------------------------
b) How big their families? ------------------------------------------------------------------
Q4.a) Have you had any deaths among your staff? YES/NO-------------------------------
b) If yes how many? -------------------------------------------------------------------------
c) Are the deaths related to mining activities? --------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q5. What is the age range of your staff? --------------------- to ------------------------ yrs
Q6.a) What is the turnover amongst your staff? High/Low----------------------------------
b) What is the frequency? ------------------------------------------------------- months.

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 32
Q7.a) Where do your staff stay? On site/away from site-------------------------------------
b) How far are their homesteads from the mine/mill site? ---------------------------m
Q8. What is the source of your water supply?
a) River
b) Dam
c) Borehole water
d) Wells
Q9. Does your staff have toilet/sanitation facilities? YES/NO
If yes what type
a) Pit latrine
b) Blair toilet
c) Flush toilets
Q10. Do you engage female workers? YES/NO
If yes how many? -----------------------------------------------------------------------
If no why? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How do you feel about engaging female workers in future? --------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q11. In what ways could your current milling/mining conditions be improved? --------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q12.a) How many mines do you own?---------------------------------------------------------
b) Where are these located? ---------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 33
c) How much gold do you get per tonne? -------------------------------------g/tonne
Q13. Which mining equipment do you posses? Tick where appropriate.
a) Shovels------------------ b) Picks ----------------- c) Wheelbarrows--------
e) Hammers---------------- e) Chisels------------- f) Compressors----------
g) Beam balances-------------------------- h) others (specify) --------------------
Q14. Which mining infrastructure do you have? Tick where appropriate.
a) Shafts b) mill c) Cyanidation ponds/tanks
Q15. As the owner of the mill what role do you play? ---------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Are you the director, manager or a miner? -------------------------------------------

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 34
Appendix 4: Information on Respondents
NAME OF
RESPONDENT
CONTACT DETAILS SEX
(M/F)
AGE HOUSEHOLD
SIZE
1. A. Banda Golden Valley Mine Compound F 39 -
2. Precious Karima Maldon Mine, Box 73, Chakari F 17 -
3. Constance Ncube Box 387 Kadoma F - -
4. Ivert Nkomo Don Brilliant Mill (DeLang)
Chakari
M 39 -
5. A. Matanga Enfield Farm, Chakari F 31 -
6. R. Tapfumaneyi - F 19 -
7. J. Nyamadzawo Delcia Mine, Box 11, Chakari F 41 -
8. D. Tare Enfield Farm F 56 -
9. Trymore
Nyamadzawo
Delcia Mine, Box 11, Chakari M 41 -
10. S. Makawa Delcia Mine, Box 11, Chakari F 51 -
11. S. Ngwenya Chakari 10, Box 98, Chakari F 28 -
12. Estiwe Meriseni Golden Valley Mine, Box 704,
Kadoma
F 45 -
13. Vera Schroeder Ryan Mine, Chakari F 25 1
14. Joseph Karima Maldon Mine, Box 73, Kadoma M 28 -
15. J. Ndou Box 148, Chakari M 28 4
16. Mrs. Phiri Falcon Compound, Chakari F 38 4
17. Lucias William Maldon Mine, Box 73, Chakari M 70 5
18. R. Chinzungu Anfield Village, Chakari M 32 6
19. Eneresi Sikonde Maldon Mine, Box 73, Chakari F 35 2
20. L. Taruvinga Tagarika School, Box 1074,
Kadoma
F 31 4
21. J. Moyo Barckeley Chase M 27 6
22. Lazarus Tare Golden Valley Primary, P. Bag
1074, Kadoma
M 69 14
23. Mr Mudoni Barcaly Chase 1020 M 25 3
24. G. Mateisangwa Tagarika School, Box 1074,
Kadoma
M 26 1
25. Adamson
Dzamukova
Dalny Mine, Chakari M 47 5
26. G. Chigwenene Tagarika School M 38 4
27. Mr. Tare 16 Barclay Chase M 70 4
28. R. Chimutora Ryan Mine M 52 -
29. Lucia Mwanza Maldon Mine F 18 8
30. Christopher Antoinio Turkois 9, Box 16, Chakari M 33 7
31. Smart Matevera Maldon Mine M 58 7
32. N.Kanomaji ZRP, Box 100, Chakari M 27 1
33. P. Ngundu Delcia Mine, Box 98, Chakari F 21 4
34. M. Musiiwa Delica Mine F 19 3
35. C. Shumba Chakari F 24 2
36. Dona Nyirenda Ryan Mine F 57 2
37. A. Banda H16, Golden Valley F 39 9
38. Diana Mwanza Alanza Compound, Chakari F 22 4
39. Lilian Menyani Maldon Mine F 26 6
40. S. Tamanikwa Anfield Farm F 22 3
41. F. Muchaenda Maldon Mine M 32 5
42. Richard
Mutandimange
(Hood Mine) 1096 Waverly,
Kadoma
M 25 3
43. Kenneth Kachisa (Hood Mine) 1784 Waverly,
Kadoma
M 27 3
44. Munyaradzi Dlamini (Right Five) 1784 Waverly,
Kadoma
M 39 1

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 35
45. Mr Kabwe Falcon 2, Box 04, Chakari M 34 5
46. C. Chimutove Milton 23 M 31 5
47. Tonderayi
Shamuyarira
Coetzee Mill M 34 4
48. Robert Hebert Rm 35, Turkois, Chakari M 42 3
49. R. Chimuto Ryan Mine M 52 6
50. Musitafa Milasi House No. 2, M3, Chakari M 35 6
52. Mensen Banda 541 Tafara, Chakari M 26 3
53. John Phiri 81 E Street, Chakari M 21 4
54. R. Mubaiwa 23A, Zengwe, Rimuka, Kadoma
M 22 3
55. M. Wadesango (Right Five) Alabama, Tagarika
M 38 4
56. G. Tare Golden valley Primary School,
P. Bag 704, Kadoma
M 27 4
57. J. Banda Downie mine, Chakari M 60 5
58. Goremusandu
Zaranyika
Golden Valley Primary School M 55 9
59. J. Murombedzi P. Bag 803, Chegutu M 53 7
60. Socrets Maumbe House No. T75, Chakari M 21 6
61. E. Mundandanda Alabama Primary School M 31 4
62. I. Tare Golden Valley Primary School M 32 5
63. Tawanda Hungwe Downie Mine, Chakari M 24 3
64. I. Mazuru DeLang Mill M 28 2
65. C. Maphosa Delica Mine M 28 2
66. J. Mazarura Ryan Mine M 33 2
67. N. Geza More Again Mine, Box 16,
Chakari
M 37 4
68. N. Kachingwe Mandarin 4., Chakari M 42 6
69. Rastion Kaukaka Dalny Mine Compound M 49 7
70. N. Kuzvagwaoga Milton 23, Chakari M 35 4
71. T. Mhandu House 98, Turkois 5, Chakari M 26 5
72. I. Naison Don Brilliant Mine M 23 4
73. G. Chagwa Falcon, Chakari M 39 5
74. Trymore
Nyamadzawo
Delcia Mine M 38 6
75. S. Shonai Delcia Mine M 30 4
76. S. Chikoma Coetzee Mine M 23 4
77. Lovemore Masuti Glasgow Mine, Box 50,
Kadoma
M 38 2
78.J. Madzadza Delcia Mine M 32 4
79. Mathew Taruvinga Galsgow Mine M 18 5
80. L. Nyamadzawo Delcia Mine M 23 2
81. M. Matavire (Alanza Mine) 19, 7
th
Day,
Chakari
M 32 5
82. Samuel Dickson Delcia Mine M 23 2
83. C. Phiri Maldon Mine M 40 5
84. C. Garawatu Maldon Mine F 51 14
85. Pateince Maldon Mine F 17 6
86. E. Phiri Delcia Mine M 43 5
87. A. Phiri Maldon Mine M 51 6
88. Gabriel Nkoma Maldon Mine M 21 5
89. Bright Mandala Turkois 33, Chakari M 17 6
90. J. Phiri M 236, Chakari M 36 4
91. Peter Kamanga Delcia Mine M 33 5
92. Simbarashe Phiri Excelsa Estates, Box 73,
Chakari
M 29 3
93. J. Karima Maldon Mine 8H, Box 73,
Chakari
M 28 4
94. Alexandra Binali Maldon Mine M 23 1

UNIDO - Socio-Economic Survey of Kadoma-Chakari Region, Zimbabwe 36
95. S. Phiri More Again Mine, Chakari M 26 1
96. P. Banda Maldon Mine M 41 4
97. Timothy Musomali Blanket Mine, Box 109,
Chakari
M 35 5
98. Wilson Banda Ryan Mine M 63 4
99. G. Phiri More Again Mine, Chakari M 38 6
100. Kyfer Mwanza Maldon Mine M 30 5
101. Tobias Zakeyo
Phiri
Maldon Mine M 58 9
102. M. Cephas Maldon Mine M 34 5
103. Clemence Kamba Glasgow Mine/A555 Ingezi
Kadoma
M 22 8
104. D. Julius Galsgow Mine M 62 4
105. Evson Sihlahla Ryan Mine M 53 5
106. A. Mafu Zebra 32 Mine, 82 Chakari M 27 1
107. Melusi Mpande (Heywood Mine) Alabama
Primary School
M 28 1
108. Madollar Phiri Glasgow Mill M 28 4
109. M. Phiri Delcia Mill M 39 6
110. Danisa Mbiba Delcia mill M 36 8
111. M Mpande Heywood Mine M 28 4
112. F. Mlotshwa Doyami primary school, Box
748, Chakari
M 28 4
113. Lovemore Masuku Delica Mine M 40 8
114. Erita Chinyama Maldon Mine F 18 7
115. Mr Coetzee Coetzee Mill M 52 (?) 3