Kuvimba Mining House (KMH) owned Shamva Gold Mine has constructed a new morgue in the district, with a capacity to hold up to 11 bodies.
The state of the art facility was built at Shamva District hospital and is open to the whole community.
This development comes as a relief to a community that previously relied on an old dilapidated mortuary with a capacity to carry only two bodies.
The construction was part of Shamva Gold Mine’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project for the district which has a population of over 70 000 people.
Speaking to journalists during a recent media tour, the project manager Rodrick Chindoko said previously, bodies would pile up on the floors as the hospital struggled with space.
“This is the biggest mortuary in the whole province, the provincial mortuary only holds 9 bodies and this one holds 11 bodies and this one is state of the art,” Chindoko said.
Among other things, Shamva Gold Mine has introduced a loan facility which has emerged as a lifeline for its employees.
“When Kuvimba Mining House opened the mine, they started considering our welfare, they gave us our jobs back, renovated our houses which had been vandalized, provided safe, clean water and electricity.
“The company has also helped us open loans at banks and now we have been empowered to buy assets like cars. As I am speaking right now our leadership is busy securing residential stands for us and some already have their stands.
“The company has also introduced medical aids for us, this never happened before and we are now as Shamva Gold Mine workers we are getting free health services,” Never Mande, a mine worker said.
A clinic was also built within the mine premises and about US$20 000 is spent on drugs per month.
The clinic, according to the mine’s general manager, Gift Mapakame, is also open to the rest of the community.
“When the mine closed, everything was vandalised and when it reopened, everything was renovated, our pass rate increased from 37% to 52% in the previous years,” Shamva District Primary School headmaster Kam Kazingeni said.
Shamva gold mine had halted operations due to various challenges and reopened in 2020 when KMH took over. – (New Zimbabwe)
