By Staff Reporter
A workplace wellness campaign reaching more than 3,700 mine workers has raised concerns over growing mental health, addiction and gambling problems in Zimbabwe’s mining sector, with experts warning that untreated psychological distress is increasingly becoming a workplace safety risk.
The campaign, conducted by Vitality Wellness across Zimplats and Magaya Mining operations, found that financial pressures, family separation and economic hardships are driving some workers towards harmful coping mechanisms such as gambling, substance abuse and excessive debt.
The programme reached 3,252 workers at Zimplats’ Bimha, Mupani, Mupfuti and Ngwarati mines, while a further 481 employees were engaged at Magaya Mining operations in Mazowe, Pickstone, Amaveni and Walden mines.
Industrial and Occupational Psychologist Edith Maziofa-Tapfuma said the end of Suicide Prevention Month should not mark the end of discussions on mental health and wellbeing in workplaces.
She said addiction was a complex challenge requiring early intervention and support rather than being viewed as a personal weakness. The campaign identified growing concerns over compulsive gambling, unmanaged debt and substance misuse, including crystal methamphetamine, alcohol and prescription drugs.
Maziofa-Tapfuma warned that psychological strain in high-risk environments such as mines can directly affect safety by impairing concentration, decision-making and situational awareness.
“A safe mine is not built solely on safety boots and hard hats; it depends on mental clarity and emotional resilience,” she said.
She added that workers struggling with personal or financial pressures may unknowingly increase safety risks for themselves and their colleagues.
The initiative also sought to address the stigma surrounding mental health, with facilitators encouraging workers to seek professional support and challenging misconceptions that psychological distress is solely linked to spiritual or cultural causes.
