Black Diamond Gold Mine Creates Jobs for Kadoma Youths and Women

By Azriel Chimeno 

In Kadoma, a mining town that has felt the weight of unemployment for years, opportunity is now coming from the gates of a company founded right here in the community. Black Diamond Gold Mining Company, founded seven years ago and led by CEO Kingston ‘King’ Masodzi and Director Elizabeth Masodzi, has made a deliberate decision to change who gets hired in Zimbabwe’s gold sector. Two thirds of its workforce are youths and women in permanent, formal roles.

 

Kadoma’s economy has long revolved around mining, but formal employment has been out of reach for many. Youth unemployment remains high, and women have traditionally been locked out of underground and processing roles. Persons with disabilities and youths affected by drugs have faced even bigger barriers.

 

When the Masodzis started Black Diamond in Kadoma, they say they wanted a different model. “As a son of Kadoma, I watched my friends struggle,” says Kingston Masodzi. “I decided that if we are going to take resources from this soil, the people of this soil must benefit first. That means youths, women, and those who society had written off,” said Masodzi.

 

Director Elizabeth Masodzi adds that inclusion was always part of the plan. “For us, mining is about people first,” she says. “If women, youths, and persons with disabilities are not at the table, then we are not building a company for Kadoma,” she said.

 

Unlike the old model of hiring only experienced male miners, Black Diamond launched targeted recruitment drives in Kadoma’s high-density suburbs, colleges, rehabilitation centers, and organisations for persons with disabilities.

 

Two thirds of Black Diamond’s current employees are youths aged 18 to 35 and women, according to company records. Roles range from processing plant operators and safety officers to logistics.

 

The company actively recruits persons with disabilities for roles in administration, quality control, and safety monitoring. It also runs a rehabilitation-to-work program for youths recovering from drug and substance abuse, pairing them with mentors and counseling support.

 

Black Diamond partnered with local vocational centers for machinery and welding training. For women with young children, flexible shift patterns and a referral system to community childcare were introduced.

 

One of those beneficiaries is 29-year-old female employee. She moved from selling vegetables at the Kadoma market to working in the mine’s ore processing section. “I used to make maybe $3 on a good day,” Rudo says. “Now I earn a salary, and I can pay fees for my three children without borrowing.”

 

The Mining Company has also taken its commitment to the community into sport and culture. The company is the proud sponsor of Rimuka Market FC, a Mashonaland West Division 2B West team, and Black Diamond Queens, the company’s women’s team. It also sponsors a regalia outfit that players and staff wear with pride on match days.

 

“Sport keeps our youths busy and gives them hope,” Masodzi says. “When you see Rimuka Market FC running onto the field in Black Diamond colors, or our Queens representing us, that tells the community this company is theirs. I am fond of my community, and I want us to grow together.”

 

The company has also started working with youth groups, women’s cooperatives, and disability associations to supply catering and protective clothing, keeping more money circulating in Kadoma.

 

Linking this work to national goals, CEO Kingston Masodzi said Black Diamond’s programs are aligned with President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa’s mantra of “leaving no one and no place behind” in line with Vision 2030.

 

“We are playing our part to ensure that development reaches Kadoma,” Masodzi said. “No youth, no woman, no person with disability should be left out of progress. That is how we build the Zimbabwe we all want by 2030.”

 

For the Masodzis, the impact is personal. “I have seen a young man who came to us broken by drugs become a team leader,” says CEO Kingston Masodzi. “I have seen a woman in a wheelchair become our best safety officer. That tells me we are doing the right thing. When you empower one person, you lift a whole family.”

 

“We started this company in 2019 with a shovel and a vision,” Masodzi said “My dream is that in another 7 years, Black Diamond will be known not for how much gold we produced, but for how many lives we transformed in Kadoma. We want a pipeline where a young person from Rimuka or Ngezi can start here, play for our teams, and grow into a supervisor, an engineer, a manager,” he concluded.