1926 to 1990 (FROM GIFFORD HIGH SCHOOL TO BULAWAYO POLYTECHNIC)

The Zimbabwe School of Mines is a unique, dynamic and vibrant mining training Institution that was formed by a Presidential Charter in 1994 although its existence dates back to 1926 where it was operating from Gifford High School.
Mr. P.H. Gifford plus four other people incepted the Bulawayo Technical School in 1927 with a total of 39 students. In 1934 the School of Mines was moved from Gifford High School to be under the Bulawayo Technical School.
The establishment of a Mining Department at the Bulawayo Technical School was a result of the deliberations of a Special Committee appointed by the then Minister of Mines. The mandate for the committee was ‘to consider the best means of affording technical education and practical training for youths who wished to enter the Mining Industry.’
The scheme also received approval from the then Rhodesia Chamber of Mines, which at that time was headquartered in Bulawayo. The Chamber of Mines ‘considered the move as a necessary provision of technical training for youths for one of the most important industries in the country’.
In 1934 Mr. Roland Starkey, who was the Mining Representative of the school prepared a scheme for starting of “the School of Mines” which later became the fully-fledged Mining Department in 1936.

Quote from the Editorial of the Technical School Magazine of November 1934 about the Mining school:“The intention is to provide a measure of theoretical and practical training for boys and youths who intend to take mining as a career, or who are already engaged in the industry, in order that they shall better equip themselves for their life’s work. The beginning will be on modest scale, but the full scheme is flexible, and has been so thought out that it will be possible later to build on the foundations thus provide a recognised School of Mines.”
Over the years the Bulawayo Technical School experienced growth and became a Technical College in 1952, then a Polytechnic in 1988.

In 1994 The Zimbabwe School of Mines moved to the current premises in Killarney after obtaining its own Presidential Charter to run as a separate entity. It is now over 70 years that the Mining School was established, from a technical section of a High School to a big institution known as the Zimbabwe School of Mines that is“Serving the SADC Region” and a school to reckon in the Southern African Region.

1991 (Move from Bulawayo Poly) (MHTE)

Discussion to transfer the School from the Ministry of Higher Education to the Ministry of Mines started.

Fundamental Rationale

Not happy with the lumping of school in the bureaucratic management of Polytechnic through Ministry ofHigher Education
Involvement of Chamber of Mines in Curriculum Development and Quality of training was invisible.
Enforcement of mining law and regulations by CGME was invisible
Staff were lumped up in civil service, mining approach and business culture not inculcated in staff

1992 to 1993 (From Bulawayo Poly (MHTE) to Ministry of Mines)

In 1992 the Ministry of Mines and the Chamber of Mines successfully lobbied for the transfer of the Bulawayo School of Mines from the Ministry of Higher Education to the Ministry of Mines. However the School continued to be within the Bulawayo Polytechnic campus. The buildings that the school occupied hand been built by the Chamber of Mines. In 1992 to 1993 the School was still under the Ministry of Mines but in transit to being an independent entity.

THE Transitional Phase

The Chamber of Mines formed a Zimbabwe School of Mines advisory committee chaired by Nick Bell, which was responsible for monitoring the transitional phase.
The Chamber of Mines opened a sub body within it which was called Chamber of Mines trading as Zimbabwe School of Mines.
Ministry of Mines with assistance from Chamber of Mines negotiated for a Canadian protocol that was to assist in the establishment of the new Zimbabwe School of Mines.
Olympus Gold Mines under the Chairmanship of Roy Stephens donated the land the school is build on.
Chamber of Mines donated the prefabricated buildings which housed the school before the construction of the permanent buildings.
The Chamber of Mines set up the Mining Industry funding mechanism for the school.
The Chamber of Mines subsidised salaries of staff (topped up) to enable the school to attract experienced trainers from the industry.
The Chamber of Mines after agreeing on the parameters of the Charter they sent the document to the Attorney General for final scrutiny.
The Successive Ministers of Mines, Chris Anderson and E. Zvobgo, the Ministry of Mines Permanent Secretary, D. Murangari and the Chamber of Mines President, Roy Stephens and his CEO, Derick Bain were instrumental in the drafting of the Charter.
1992 the Zimbabwean Canadian Protocol on Zimbabwe School of Mines project was signed and the first Principal D. Hemingway was appointed. He was a secondment from the Hailybury School of Mines in Canada.

1994 (From Ministry of Mines to New Zimbabwe School of Mines)

The Zimbabwe School of Mines Charter was granted.
The School moved from the Ministry of Mines to an independent entity.
New conditions of service and industry related staff grades were established.
Staff were transferred from the civil service to ZSM.
ZSM became guided by the mining industry code of conduct and mining industry regulations
ZSM became a full member of Mining Industry Pension Fund (MIPF)
Staff and the Institution subscribe to the requirements and standards of NEC Mining Industry
For administrative purposes, ZSM as an institution, was treated as a “MINE” and mine number given
All property at the school was transferred from the Government to Zimbabwe School of Mines.
Government through PSIP started the construction of the new school buildings.
The Chamber of Mines transferred funds that were kept under the Chamber of Mines trading as Zimbabwe School of Mines.
The Board was appointed and started running the school.
The board appointed Corporate Secretary for governance systems to start working
The board and the working committees were appointed. This completed the governance structures of the school.

ZIMBABWE/CANADA PROTOCOL

In 1992 the Zimbabwean Government and the Canadian Government signed a protocol to assist the development of Zimbabwe School of Mines. The main areas covered by the protocol were:-

Provision of training equipment
Staff development (staff exchange between Haileybury School of Mines and Zimbabwe School of Mines)
Academic development (Curriculum design and library material)
Governance at Mining Training Institutions (Association of Canadian Community Colleges, Northern College, Haileybury School of Mines and Zimbabwe School of Mines)
Intellectual Information exchange.
Technical staff for kick starting ZSM (First CEO of ZSM was the former Dean of Haileybury School of Mines).

This Project was one of the most instrumental projects in the development of Zimbabwe School of Mines and equipped the School with the training equipment which made it the best equipped mining training institution in Africa.

New Zimbabwe School of Mines: Founding Principles

• A body corporate, with new name, new emblem, new governance structures and administrative structures and systems.
• All mining professional institutions become part of the Board.
• All Mining professional institutions become part of the Academic Committee
• The School became a regional centre of excellence in mining training with SADC Mining Unit have a sit in the Board.
• The Board designed and determined the business approach and administrative structures of the School.
• Conditions of service of staff and grading systems were designed and staff employed.
• A team of Board and staff members was sent to study specialized governance and management system at Hailbury School of Mines, Cambrian College and Northern College in Canada.

• School registered with M.I.P.F.
  • Students bound by Mining Industry code of conduct.
  • Students bound by NEC mining regulations.
  • All students undergoing mining first aid training before writing first semester exams.
  • Mining students passing Mine Blasting Licence before graduating.
  • Examinable student practical log book designed.
  • Practitioner concept of training mining students was adopted.
Conditions of studentship at ZSM were done with the main fundamentals as:
• The School became part of board of examiners in the C.G.M.E. and played a part in the design and modification of Certificate Of Competency Exams.
• Training of mining professional courses became core business of the school.
• Association of Mine Managers, as the main users of the ZSM graduate was given greater role in the Academic Committee and Board.
• The School was to have an honorary sit in all mining professional associations and Chamber of Mines.
• The School was to be a self sustaining business entity by the time Infrastructural Development phases were completed.
• Until self sustaining time, Treasury undertook to support staffing positions and recurrent costs. Infrastructural development to be funded under PSIP.
• COM to grant support to the school through a defined formula and by transferring of funds under ‘COM trading as ZSM’ to the School.

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT 1994

Recepients of ZSM Associateship

The Associateship is the highest honour, award and decoration that ZSM can confer on an individual or Institution

N.J.W. Bell

• Mr. Bell was the first recipient of the ZSM Honorary Certificate.
• Was the Chairman of the ZSM Advisory Committee which committee was responsible for moving the school from the Ministry of Higher Education to the Ministry of Mines then to the current independent entity.
• Was tasked with the duty to spearhead the development to the new Zimbabwe School of Mines.
• Was instrumental in putting the industrial flair to the new curriculum.
• Was one of the first Board members of the School.

A.G. Van Breda

• Was part of the team that produced the draft of the ZSM Charter.
• Served in the Finance Committee for 13 years.
• Served in the Board for 13 years.
• Was the first person to be awarded the ZSM Associateship certificate together with Mr. Nick Bell.
• Assisted the amicable transfer of the old School of Mines staff from civil service to the New ZSM.

C. Chipato

• Was Board member on the Chief Government Mining Engineer’s ticket.
• Served as Chairman of the Board for 4 years.
• Contributed a lot to the development of the Mine Engineers’ Certificate of Competency.

D. E. H. Murangari

• Was the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Mines when the School was moved from the Ministry of Higher Education to the Ministry of Mines and then to an independent institution.
• Was the first Chairman of the Board of Management.
• Also served in the Board in his capacity as CEO of the Chamber of Mines.

R. G. Stephens

• Was the Chairman of Olympus Gold Mines when the company donated the land where the School is situated.
• Was the President of the Chamber of Mines during the school’s move from the Ministry of Higher Education to the Ministry of Mines then to an independent institution.
• Was a core signatory to the ZSM Charter.
• Chaired the Finance & Audit committee & the AHR committee.

J. Rheam

• As General Manager of a nearby How Mine, he facilitated the mine providing lots of material resources to the School in the early years of the School.
• How Mine donated the first mining related software that was used for training at the School.
• Chaired the Academic Committee.

D. W. Fomison

• Was the Executive member of the Chamber of Mines and an Executive member of the Association of Mine Managers of Zimbabwe during the time the school was moving from the Ministry of Higher Education to an Independent entity.
• Was the first AHR committee chairman.
• Was one of the first Board Members of the School.
• Helped in the designing of the first Administration Procedures and Policy Guidelines at the School.

S. Mambondimumwe

• Was the head of the Mining department when the School was still under the Ministry of Higher Education.
• Was instrumental in the movement of the school from Byo Poly Tech. to the new ZSM.
• Was the first Director of Academics at the School.

D. Hemingway

Was the first CEO of the new Zimbabwe School of Mines.
Spearheaded the move from the Ministry of Higher Education to the new ZSM.
Was on a secondment from the HaileyBury School of Mines in the Zimbabwean – Canadian protocol to spearhead the new ZSM.

N. Levin

Started the Bursary Fund at ZSM where students were being sponsored to train different courses in the mining department. Some of the beneficiaries of the Norman & Rosemary Levin Bursary Fund are senior managers in the mining industry.
Donated equipment to the school, which include a stamp mill, very large bullion scale, assay balances, and other mining equipment.
Donated to the school several batches of library books, furniture and students awards.
In recognition of his numerous contributions to the School, in October 2003 the Board of ZSM named one of the Labs after Norman Levin.

C. D. C. Bain

Was the CEO of the Chamber of Mines when the school was being moved from the Ministry of Higher Education to the new ZSM.
Managed the transitional (Chamber of Mines trading as ZSM) until the Charter was signed.
Was the central figure in mobilising industry to participate in the school.

T. Ndlovu

Served ten years of executive service to the School.
First Zimbabwean CEO of the Zimbabwe School of Mines.

D. Tusai

Was the first employee of the new Zimbabwe School of Mines.
Served fifteen years of executive service to the school.
First Corporate Secretary of ZSM
Third CEO of ZSM

I. Saunders

• Served in the ZSM Board and also served in the Finance & Audit committee as the Finance & Audit Chairman; the financial budgeting and reporting standards of the school were greatly improved during his term of office.
• Facilitated attachments for ZSM students, even from other mines.
• Facilitated attachment places for female students, with his Mine attaching the bulk of female students when other mines still stigmatised the idea of having females in the mining industry.
• Facilitated the expansion of the Chamber of Mines scholarship fund.
• Had his own mine starting a scholarship Fund for students to study at ZSM.
• Promoted the School at District Mining Association and other fora.