Rumbidzai Gwinji, manager of Zimbaqua Mining Company, talks about the strategy of hiring only women at her organization.
“At most mining companies in Zimbabwe, women rarely have a chance to fill vacancies,” she says. “This is especially true in rural areas where women are expected to stay home and look after their children.
“We’re different,” Ms. Gwinji explains. “We have created an environment that accommodates women’s needs and entices them to work by introducing different categories of benefits and awards. Our experience has demonstrated that women can work equally as hard and perform as well as their male counterparts.”
She challenges the government to come up with policies that push for equal employment opportunities for women in the mining sector. “Government can start by encouraging female students to study male-dominated fields, such as mining,” she explains. “It also should extend to women training programmes that male artisanal miners receive.”
Billian Tembo, Marange Women’s Alliance chairperson, credits Zimbaqua for being the first mining company in Zimbabwe’s history to hire women.
“This shows we are moving in the right direction as a country,” he comments. “To maintain our momentum, I urge the government to support this effort with rigorous policies and incentives.”
Reflecting on how it all started, Zimbaqua Mine Director Iver Rosenkrantz says the idea of a mining project that employs women occurred to him after a series of visits to Karoi, a well-known farming region.
“At first, it was difficult convincing tobacco farmers to take part in mining activities,” he explains. “Although only a few small-scale artisanal mining projects were operating, we saw an opportunity, as well as a need. Women had to support their children in terms of food, shelter and education,” he says. “That’s when we decided to hire only females.
