Vincent Gono, News Editor
MASVINGO Province has been known for its sugar producing prowess courtesy of abundant water bodies (it boasts of the largest water bodies in the country) that irrigates sugarcane plantations in Chiredzi and Mwenezi districts.
It has wildlife too in the Gonarezhou and other parks strewn all over its districts and it forms a part of its vast tourism potential. The province stands tall as one with the biggest cattle herd in the country. The province has however, not been counted among the mineral producing areas of Zimbabwe such as Midlands that hides the bigger chuck of the country’s mineral belt — the Great Dyke in its bosom.
Mining activities have been known to be popular in Matabeleland South and Manicaland provinces too although the country as a whole has more pockets of mineral resources, some that are still being discovered and explored.
Apart from exhausted gold and asbestos mines in Mashava, and other deposits of gold in Renco all in Masvingo District, the province has been known to have lithium deposits in Bikita District that have been exploited by Bikita Minerals.
Sunday News (SN) spoke to the Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution in Masvingo Dr Addmore Pazvakavambwa (Dr AP) who gave insights on what the province has been doing to realise its potential in the mining sector and what communities are benefiting from the mineral resources.
Excerpts of the interview are below.
SN: We have recently witnessed the commissioning of the lithium mine in Bikita by President Mnangagwa. How is this investment going to benefit the province?
Dr AP: To ensure the long-term sustainability and maximisation of value, Bikita Minerals invested over US$300 million in three critical projects. The first is the spodumene plant that is expected to produce 300 000 tons of high-quality chemical grade spodumene concentrate annually. The second one is the petalite plant that is expected to produce 480 000 tons of petalite annually. There is also work on a new tailings storage facility which will result in continued responsible and sustainable disposal of waste.
In terms of the benefits, Bikita Minerals employs about 2700 people directly or indirectly. It is one of the largest employers in Masvingo Province. Through the internship programme, the mine has imparted valuable knowledge to hundreds of students who have gone through their attachment, apprenticeship and graduate learnership with the mine.
Lithium
In terms of contribution to the province’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and national economy, the second largest chunk of the company’s payments at 24% is allocated to statutory obligations to the Government, whilst local suppliers top the list with 31%.
The business operations have resulted in significant economic vibrancy of the district and province at large. Various supporting industries such as manufacturing, construction, logistics and retail are thriving because of the demand generated by mining operations.
SN: Are we likely going to see lithium beneficiation and value addition plants in Masvingo? The discourse around lithium batteries and other uses of the metal, how is it going to improve people’s lives?
Dr AP: Yes, the firm is planning to build a furnace to further process the spodumene concentrate in Masvingo Province in the foreseeable future. Feasibility studies are currently underway and we expect the development to benefit the province and its communities in many ways.
SN: What are communities around the lithium mines benefiting through Corporate Social Responsibility?
Dr AP: Sustainability is at the heart of everything that Bikita Minerals does and we firmly believe that the most responsible business will be the most successful in modern times. Bikita Minerals will continue to contribute towards the broader societal goals through the value of the mineral it produces and by sustainably doing business.
Bikita Minerals has a vibrant Corporate Social Responsibility programme, through which there is extensive engagement with communities that has led to significant investment in infrastructure in the areas of health, education, water and sanitation, among others. In 2023, Bikita Minerals spent more than US$30 million and the investments are as follows:
The lithium giant spent US$22 million towards the construction of the Tokwe-Bikita Powerline. Overall project status is 55% and the powerline is set to be completed by February 2024. Communities and businesses in Bikita, Gutu and Zaka will have uninterrupted power supply.
Construction of the new Birchenough Bridge is now underway and drilling is in progress and a total of US$10 million has been set aside for the project. The bridge will provide economic linkages between Masvingo and Manicaland Provinces and ease regional linkages between Mozambique and South Africa.
A total of 33 boreholes were drilled in Masvingo Province where Bikita West received (16 boreholes), Masvingo North (12 boreholes) and Masvingo West (5 boreholes) at a total cost of US$103 000 that benefited over 60 000 households with access to clean water.
A total of US$ 600 000 was spent towards road maintenance and construction of Nyika-Kamungoma, Bikita to Gutu and surrounding roads linking the community to clinics, schools and administrative centres.
The mine also provides a school feeding programme to eight primary schools and US$14 520 has been spent.
Construction of two classroom blocks and a staff quarter at Mara Primary School at a cost of US$120 000 and a further US$5 858 was used to purchase building and construction materials at Makwirivindi Clinic in Gutu South.
The mine donated US$30 000 to Marozva community fund where more than 3 000 families have access to funds for income generating projects.
Villagers are allocated 65 tonnes of scouring powder for resale every month. The mine is also supporting sports and Bikita Minerals football club is now in the Premier League through a US$80 000 investment into football. Bulk of the employees are recruited from the local community and they constitute 80 percent of the workforce.
The mine recently won an award for the best ESG Best CSR investment and Community Impact award.
SN: Are there other mineral exploration work being done in the province as it grows its mining sector?
Dr AP: Mineral exploration work in the province is as follows:
Murowa Diamonds – The company has pegged Kimberlite deposits in Chivi and is embarking on a diamond drilling exploration programme after completing aeromagnetic and ground geophysical surveys. The project is long-term and ongoing. ZCDC – The mining house is still at exploration stage and has also recently acquired more mining titles in the form of Special Grant applications. It is also long-term and is ongoing. Alrosa Zimbabwe Pvt Ltd — The company is currently conducting geochemical sampling and has constructed a washing plant in Bubi for this stage of exploration. Renco Expansion – The mine has pegged 17 Gold claims east and west of the main workings, Detailed exploration is envisaged after registration with the aim of increasing output and life of mine. Bikita Lithium and Tantalite exploration – The mine has updated all historical records with the aim of planning an exploration programme to replace depleted resources. Regional aeromagnetic and satellite image interpretation, high resolution magnetics and radiometric surveys and core drilling are planned before the year end 2024. Bikita Minerals has also recently cited occurrence of gold and monazite and has added these to its list of minerals. The project is medium-term and ongoing.
