CHOLERA STALKS ARTISANAL MINERS ALONG MAZOWE RIVER

In the dimly lit ward of the cholera treatment centre at Matope Clinic in Mount Darwin, 27-year-old James Mupfupi (not his real name) lies on a thin mattress, battling severe dehydration.

His frail body tells a story of struggle, not just against the deadly cholera bacteria but against the harsh conditions of life as an artisanal miner along Mazowe River.

“I didn’t know much about cholera until I got sick,” James confesses weakly.

“We have dug a well where we get our drinking water. We also have one toilet, but because there are many of us working around the same area, some people relieve themselves in the bush. We have no choice.”

James is one of the 340 individuals who have fallen victim to the persistent cholera outbreak ravaging Mashonaland Central.

With eight deaths recorded and over a dozen patients still admitted in treatment centres, the outbreak has become a major cause for concern for health authorities.

Despite numerous Government interventions, the province has suffered four consecutive cholera outbreaks, with artisanal miners along the Mazowe River being at the centre of the outbreaks.

The Mazowe River, and its many tributaries, rich in gold deposits, attracts thousands of fortune seekers from most parts of the country. However, the glitter of gold is overshadowed by the dire living conditions that provide a perfect breeding ground for the spread of cholera.

With limited access to clean water and sanitation, miners rely on shallow wells and the contaminated river for drinking and cooking. Makeshift toilets are scarce, forcing many to resort to open defecation along the riverbanks.

Health and Child Care Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora, during a visit to the affected areas this week, acknowledged the negative role unregulated mining played in the cholera outbreaks.

“We have seen an increase in the number of cases on a daily basis, and now we are going into two-digit figures. What we have observed is that the common denominator is artisanal mining. There is a lot of gold panning occurring along the Mazowe River, but there are poor sanitation conditions and limited water supply. That is why most of the cases are coming from this area,” he said.

The situation is worsened by the migratory nature of artisanal miners.

According to Dr Mombeshora, some of the patients admitted at the cholera treatment centres had only been in the area for a few days. This movement of people makes it difficult for health authorities to track and contain the spread of the disease.

Along the Mukaradzi River, hundreds of makeshift shacks serve as homes for miners and their families. While men dig for gold, women sift through the shallow waters, while children roam around selling water, snacks, and fruits. In this overcrowded and unsanitary environment, the threat of cholera is real.

“Of course, we have toilets, but there are just too many of us around this place. It is not guaranteed that everyone will use the latrines. Those who go underground have to come back to the surface when the need to relieve themselves arises. But we cannot say everyone will do that,” admitted another miner who preferred to remain anonymous.

At the peak of the cholera pandemic last year, mining communities were the worst affected due to the poor water and sanitation in those areas, with Mukaradzi Mine at one time recording the highest number of cases in Mt Darwin District.

The situation is further compounded by the limited access to awareness on the causes of diarrhoeal diseases such as cholera.

The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare has since called for intensified awareness campaigns and distribution of water treatment tablets in affected areas. However, the root causes of the outbreak, poor sanitation and lack of clean water, remain unresolved.

“We need urgent interventions to provide proper water and sanitation infrastructure in both rural mining communities and urban settlements,” Dr Mombeshora said.

The link between artisanal mining and cholera outbreaks is not unique to Zimbabwe. A study conducted in South Sudan revealed that cholera spread rapidly in traditional gold mining areas due to poor hygiene and lack of access to safe water.

Globally, cholera remains a major public health threat. Since the beginning of the year, new cases have been reported in countries such as Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

According to the World Health Organisation, the world is experiencing a global resurgence of cholera, with an estimated 1 billion people at risk globally. *_-Herald_*