Henrietta Rushwaya is a businesswoman, a miner, the current President of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF), and a mother. She is undoubtedly the most prominent figure in the Zimbabwean mining industry.

Upbringing

Popularly known as “Madam President,” Henrietta Rushwaya was born on 21 March 1967 in Masvingo. She attended Mzilikazi High School. She trained as a teacher at Morgenster Teachers College in Masvingo and plied the trade for a short stint.

She studied sports management in Norway and returned to coordinate fundraising activities for the Zimbabwe National Soccer Team in 2004.

She was appointed ZIFA Chief Executive Officer on the 1st of March 2007 and left the organisation in October 2010.

The Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF)

In 2018, Henrietta Rushwaya won her first election as president of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF). ZMF is Zimbabwe’s largest mining body, with over 1, 5 million members who contribute an annual average of 60% of the total gold deliveries to Fidelity Gold Refinery (FGR), the country’s sole gold buyer and exporter.

She became one of only five women to head a major mining organisation globally.

When she assumed the ZMF’s pre-eminent post, gold deliveries to the country’s sole gold buyer and exporter, Fidelity Gold Refinery (FGR), by artisanal and small-scale miners hit a record high of over 21 tonnes. Her election into office saw increased women’s participation in the Zimbabwe mining sector, leading to the momentous rise of the “Women can do it” sentiment in the industry.

In 2021, Henrietta Rushwaya was resoundingly endorsed as ZMF President in an election she ran unopposed.

In her acceptance speech, Henrietta Rushwaya pledged to rebuild the backbone of the nation and ensure that the ASM sector is aligned with the mainstream economy.

In 2026, she announced that Zimbabwean small-scale miners pledged to submit 45 tonnes of gold to the country’s gold refinery.

Besides mining, Henrietta Rushwaya is a businesswoman, a farmer, and a mother of three.