Kuvimba Introduces Mineral Transparency and Accountability Software
Mutapa Investment Fund owned Kuvimba Mining House (KMH) has implemented mineral accountability and transparency software at its gold processing units.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
This initiative aims to ensure that the gold produced aligns with international standards on responsible sourcing and mining guidelines.
KMH’s gold cluster has partnered with Comstack to enhance accountability, transparency, and responsible mining in its operations. This partnership will be implemented across the gold cluster and extended to other clusters in the future.
KMH ranks among the top five in Africa for the installation and operationalisation of this system. It aims to comply with EU guidelines and the OECD’s five-step framework, emphasizing transparency and due diligence in maintaining a clean and accountable supply chain.
KMH Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Trevor Barnard articulated the company’s vision to mainstream accountability and transparency through traceability systems. He highlighted the step-by-step process undertaken to streamline these systems, ensuring old systems are updated and skilled personnel effectively monitor and manage them.
The partnership with Comstack, a UK-based company, is crucial for ensuring transparent gold marketing systems. This collaboration between local and international institutions underscores KMH’s commitment to maintaining transparency and accountability in their gold operations.
Speaking to Mining Zimbabwe, Barnard said, “Our business model involves taking mining investments and operationalizing mines across various mineral groups. Some mines are not operational, while others are new resources that have been recently uncovered. We ensure these mines can run sustainably and long-term, creating wealth and better livelihoods for Zimbabweans.
“Our operating model is divided into four clusters: gold, bulk commodities, platinum group minerals, and energy minerals. Today, you will visit one of our gold mines, Freda Rebecca, to look at the traceability of our product. We also have chrome assets and iron assets, a large platinum asset, and a significant lithium resource at the Sandawana Lithium Mine.
“In the gold cluster, we are the largest gold producer in Zimbabwe, producing over 300 kilograms of gold monthly. Freda Rebecca is our primary mine, with other operations at Shamva Gold Mine and Jena Mine. Additionally, we have assets like Elvington and Homestake contributing to our gold sector.
“In bulk commodities, we have chrome assets through Zimbabwe Alloys. We’re processing chrome concentrate and enhancing further beneficiation. In the platinum group minerals cluster, we have the Great Dyke Investment, a significant resource we’re working to develop. Lastly, in energy minerals, our lithium assets at Sandawana are among the top hard rock lithium resources globally. We’re negotiating partnerships to develop a processing plant to produce and export lithium concentrate and take further beneficiation steps.
“Our traceability system, developed by Comstack, ensures our gold production is traceable from mine to market, ensuring confidence in our legitimacy. This system provides regulatory compliance, transparency, quality control, sustainability, and ethical sourcing, ensuring we operate in a sustainable and efficient manner. It gives us a competitive advantage and market access, vital for our business.”