Defold Mine Pvt Ltd, owned by the Mutapa Investment Fund, has expressed optimism regarding Bravura’s Kamativi lithium dump processing project.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The mine is eager to see the completion of civil works by the end of the fourth quarter while ensuring strong community involvement in the project.
In an interview with Mining Zimbabwe, Defold Mine Pvt Ltd Acting General Manager, Wilfred Tanyanyiwa, shared that the project, which had previously experienced some delays, is now gaining momentum.
He highlighted the progress made in the shipment of a state-of-the-art processing plant from South Africa by the vendor, Manhattan Corporation.
“The project is now starting to gain some traction. Since the last update from Bravura in June, when the equipment was 97% complete and they faced challenges with marine transportation, we’ve seen good progress with the latest batch that has arrived in Zimbabwe. We anticipate that the batches will continue to arrive within this quarter, which is Q3. As the government arm, which is a partner in this project, we are hopeful that its implementation may be expedited. We’ve done our part, including granting Bravura an operating license and providing the VAT exemptions they were anticipating. The road is now clear for their equipment to start arriving,” Tanyanyiwa said.
He noted significant progress in the preparation of the plant sites and expressed hope that civil works would commence in the fourth quarter of this year to ensure the steady advancement of the project.
Tanyanyiwa also emphasized the improvements Bravura has made in stakeholder engagement, ensuring that all parties involved are well-informed and actively participating in the project’s development.
“Bravura has improved in terms of engaging with local stakeholders, ensuring everyone is involved in the journey they are embarking on to bring this project to the community. They have engaged with government bodies like the Chiefs DNC and have communicated with community leaders, ensuring that even the Hwange Rural District Council is aware of the developments they are bringing into the community,” he added.
However, Tanyanyiwa pointed out that Bravura still faces challenges, particularly in securing water sources and ensuring a reliable electricity supply for the plant.
He stressed the importance of addressing these issues and also highlighted the need for Bravura to enhance its local employment strategies.
“There are still some issues they are working on, such as securing water sources for the project and ensuring reliable electricity for their plant. We anticipate providing them with the necessary support as needed. However, Bravura could improve by ensuring that local people are employed in their project. While there has been some progress in the construction work, we believe more can be done to involve skilled local labor, especially as the project kicks off. Zimbabwe has many trained graduates who have the capacity to contribute to the project,” Tanyanyiwa noted.
He concluded by stressing the importance of utilizing local talent, given that Bravura is not a Zimbabwean-based company and therefore should ensure local people benefit from skills transfer.
“We believe a good ratio of skilled labour should come from our local workforce. We hope that they can improve their timelines for the project’s implementation. Our goal is to have the project up and running by December 2024, as we have expectations from our ultimate shareholder, the government, and a dividend must be realized from this project this year,” he said.