Renco Mine Halts Operations After Spirit Medium's Warning
Mining at Renco Mine was put on hold for two days after a local spirit medium predicted potential worker deaths if their demands were not met. This caused quite a stir among the miners and management.
Insiders at the mine revealed that the spirit medium had instructed the management to clear all outstanding salary arrears to appease the workers. Following this, an appeasement ceremony was to be conducted to ensure the mine's productivity.
Attempts to reach the mine's General Manager, Taurayi Nyamukondiwa, for a comment were unsuccessful as he was not answering his phone. However, sources said the mine had engaged local traditional leaders and held continuous meetings to find a solution.
Headman Muchibwa, whose real name is Maduviko Manyise, confirmed the situation but referred further comments to his spokesperson, Maseko Manyise. Maseko acknowledged the challenges at the mine and mentioned that they had productive discussions with the authorities, leading to the workers resuming their duties.
“There were issues at the mine which I think mine authorities are better positioned to share with you. However, we had a fruitful meeting and we addressed the workers who later went back to work. So now we are working on mapping a way forward to avoid similar issues,” said Maseko.
Renco Mine Halts Operations After Spirit Medium's Warning
He added that traditional rituals, once a common practice in the area, had been neglected but were now being revived.
“The ancestors are now speaking through the younger generation and some may not understand but that is what we are trying to address,” Maseko explained.
Sources told this reporter that the mine's failure to honour traditional rites was causing the ongoing issues. The spirit medium, who had recently re-emerged after years of silence, had warned the mine three months ago to pay the workers and appease the ancestors to ensure productivity.
The medium had also predicted regrettable occurrences if these demands were not met, and coincidentally, a worker died in the mine last week.
“The medium warned that if workers go down the mine on September 9, it will be at their own risk. So the mining department refused to go down the mine saying the management should lead the way if they are to go down,” said a source.
Last month, the mine recorded one of its lowest production levels ever, which many believe is a fulfilment of the medium's warnings.
“The medium said if his demands are not met, the mining machinery will stop working and it will be difficult to get gold. The bow mill in the plant area stopped working on September 3 and only resumed work on September 9 in the afternoon but it was hard operating it,” the source added.
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Another source mentioned that the mine was in the process of clearing the arrears, having settled up to June and was now working on July and August salaries.
