The Centre for Natural Resource Governance says the death toll at Rezende mine may have reached seven, and wants an independent inquiry
by STAFF WRITER
THE CENTRE for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG), a Zimbabwean advocacy group, has called for an urgent independent investigation into the collapse of Rezende mine in Penhalonga, after unverified reports put the death toll at seven.
The accident occurred on Sunday, 20 September 2026.
Initial reports said at least three artisanal miners had died and several others were trapped underground. CNRG said it had since received unverified reports that the toll had risen to seven.
The group complained that the government had not urgently verified or publicly confirmed how many people were killed, injured or still trapped.
That failure, it said, hindered efforts to help those still underground and the injured, and prevented relatives from coming forward to identify loved ones who died.
The mine forms part of the Redwing mining complex in Penhalonga. Corporate records identify The King’s Daughter Mining Company (Private) Limited as the owner of Redwing Mine. Betterbrands Mining Company (Private) Limited has operated at the mine under a tributary arrangement.
CNRG tried to contact Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka, the acting Manicaland provincial police spokesman, for official information on the incident and the rescue operation. It had received no response when it issued its statement.
The group said the absence of timely official information was deeply concerning in a disaster involving multiple fatalities and potentially trapped miners.
The lack of a clear and authoritative public account, CNRG warned, risked fuelling allegations that the disaster was being swept under the carpet. Such allegations must not be allowed to substitute for facts, it said.
The authorities had a responsibility to establish and communicate how many people were underground, how many had died, how many remained trapped or injured, who was responsible for the operation, what safety measures were in place, and whether the mine was complying with Zimbabwean mining and occupational safety requirements.
The collapse has raised questions about mine safety, regulatory oversight and the protection of artisanal miners in Penhalonga.
CNRG says the area has suffered persistent environmental and mining-related problems.
Hundreds of miners have died in Penhalonga since Better Brands began operations in 2020, according to the group, and most of those deaths go unreported.
Previous community engagements and monitoring by CNRG documented concerns about safety, environmental hazards and water pollution linked to Better Brands’ operations at Redwing.
CNRG said the latest disaster could not be treated as an isolated accident. It must trigger a comprehensive examination of mining activities across Penhalonga.
The group called for an immediate and independent investigation into the collapse and the adequacy of safety measures at the operation. It wants official confirmation of the death toll and the number of injured or trapped miners.
It also demanded a full audit of mining activities in Penhalonga, covering registered and informal operations, mine plans, shaft stability, ground conditions, occupational safety standards, licensing and environmental compliance.
High-risk mining sites and shafts should be inspected immediately, with dangerous operations suspended where there is credible evidence of an imminent threat to human life, CNRG argues.
CNRG called for full disclosure of mining safety and inspection records, including previous inspection reports, risk assessments, notices issued to operators and any outstanding corrective measures relating to the affected mine.
It wants an investigation into how artisanal miners came to be operating at the site, and whether appropriate safety systems, supervision, protective equipment and emergency response arrangements were in place.
A transparent rescue and recovery operation should keep families and the affected community informed, the group said. Victims and their families should receive compensation, psychosocial support and legal assistance.
Better Brands and the regulatory authorities responsible must ensure that operations meet Zimbabwe’s mining and occupational safety requirements, CNRG said. It ended its statement with a blunt line: “People must come before profit.”
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