ZIMBABWE is aiming to anchor its rural industrialisation agenda on its vast mineral and natural resources, including the huge lithium deposits in Mberengwa, Midlands province, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has said.
He said this while speaking to journalists after touring Sandawana Mines, a division of Mutapa Energy Minerals, in Mberengwa district on Wednesday this week.
The Vice-President also toured the construction site of the Chinese-operated three-million tonne per annum lithium concentrator plant where work is expected to begin in June this year and will to be completed in 18 months.
Sandawana Mines is a lithium producing mine, sitting mainly on the Mweza range and covering an area of 3 836 hectares.
It started lithium mining operations in 2023.
It carried out an exploration programme in Phases 1 and 2, projected to produce 39 million tonnes of lithium oxide (1,39%) and will become the biggest deposit in Zimbabwe.
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To date, 2,5 million tonnes of ore at an average grade of 1,58% have been mined.
Chiwenga hailed the progress at Sandawana Mines and the processing plant in Zvishavane saying the development will augment government’s development trajectory.
“That co-operation in making this resource beneficial, starting with the local communities to the province and to the nation of Zimbabwe, has been thoroughly discussed and I am quite happy with the plans that have been presented before us.
“What their plans are and what we have given them now add to what we would want to see from the government side, that we need to benefit everything that we are taking out from the ground.”
Added Chiwenga: “Now the exploration they have done so far, I think it gives them about 100 million tonnes and we are saying that’s enough. This is a very small area compared to their concession which is quite huge.
“If they can secure that amount, considering the exposure they have already achieved — nearly 39 million tonnes — they must now develop beneficiation up to the sulphate and carbonate stages.”
He said the lithium deposits at Sandawana were high enough for Mutapa Energy Minerals to explore more opportunities, including producing pharmaceutical and aircraft equipment.
“Now that entails us to achieve that objective of rural industrialisation and this place Sandawana is going to be one of those,” the Vice-President said.
“Companies will be drawn, industries will be drawn to come here to do a number (of projects).
“It’s not only lithium, this area — remember we had emeralds being mined here, we have got gold being mined here — and naturally, the soil is good, it’s also a very good agricultural area, so quite a number of things are going to be taking place and that's our vision, that’s what we would want to see happening.”
Mutapa Energy Minerals’ strategic five-year focus areas include the upgrading of Phase 2 Block A for 50 million tonnes of inferred resource at a budget of US$11 million.
Commissioning of the three million- tonne per annum lithium concentrator plant is expected at the end of 2027.
Sandawana exploration is the biggest exploration campaign undertaken in Zimbabwe in the last 10 years.