Vice President Dr. Constantino Chiwenga has declared that Sandawana Mine is set to become Zimbabwe’s premier industrial hub, anchored by Mutapa Energy Resources’ aggressive lithium beneficiation programme that will see the historic emerald mining area transformed into a multi-mineral processing zone powering the nation’s Vision 2030 agenda, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Speaking after a comprehensive tour of Sandawana Mine and the Zhe Li Mining Investments lithium processing plant in Zvishavane, the Vice President outlined a bold vision for the complete value chain, from raw ore extraction to the production of high-purity lithium compounds for pharmaceutical and aerospace applications.
“What has now become clear is that we need to go further,” Dr Chiwenga said, addressing the media after the tour.
“We have been with Chief Ngungumbane in the meeting, and Chief Majibaza, and the local authorities. That cooperation in making this resource beneficial, starting with the local communities and to the nation of Zimbabwe, has been thoroughly discussed.”
Massive Resource Base Confirmed
The Vice President revealed that exploration work conducted at Sandawana has already confirmed a resource base of approximately 100 million tonnes of lithium-bearing ore — a figure he described as highly significant, given that it represents only a fraction of the total concession area.
“Now the exploration which they have done so far, I think it gives them about 100 million tonnes. And we are saying that’s enough, and this is a very small area compared to their concession, which is quite huge,” Dr. Chiwenga stated.
He noted that exposed reserves already accumulated stand at approximately 39 million tonnes, providing immediate feedstock for the processing infrastructure now under development. Independent estimates suggest the full 3,882-hectare concession could potentially host up to 600 million tonnes of lithium resources, placing Sandawana among Africa’s most significant lithium assets.
Processing Infrastructure Taking Shape
The tour included a detailed inspection of operations spanning both the Sandawana mining site and the Zvishavane processing facility, which currently receives product from Mutapa Energy Resources for toll processing.
Mutapa Energy Minerals, the Mutapa Investment Fund subsidiary managing the asset, is advancing plans for a US$270 million lithium concentrate plant at Sandawana, with construction scheduled to commence by June 2026. The facility, being developed under a Build-Operate-Transfer model with Chinese partners including Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and Tsingshan Holding Group, will have an annual processing capacity of 600,000 tonnes of ore, with commissioning targeted for early 2027.
Mutapa Energy Minerals CEO Mr. Innocent Rukweza confirmed to the Vice President that the company is aggressively pursuing the full beneficiation chain.
“In conjunction with NDS2, there is going to be a ban around 2027 on the export of concentrates. We have started to receive interest from partners who can assist us to even set up lithium carbonate plants, which is the final product used in battery making.”
The Vice President articulated a vision extending far beyond concentrate production, directing management to pursue complete value addition up to the highest purity levels.
“That must now bring them to develop beneficiation up to sulphate, up to carbonate. Then we can now go on to the higher stages, 92.5, 99, 99.1, 99.5, up to the stage where we are producing pharmaceuticals, we are producing aircraft equipment,” Dr. Chiwenga said. “That’s what we want.”
These ultra-high-purity lithium compounds command premium prices in global markets and are essential components in advanced energy storage systems, medical technologies, and aerospace applications, representing the pinnacle of the lithium value chain.
The Vice President also toured the Zvishavane lithium processing plant operated by Chinese investor Zhe Li Mining Investments, which handles approximately 500 tonnes of ore daily and currently processes material from Sandawana under commercial arrangements.
“Now we have combined the two, the mine and the processing plant in Zvishavane, which is receiving the product from Mutapa Energy Resources here in Sandawana, and they are selling it,” Dr. Chiwenga explained, highlighting the integrated nature of current operations.
This integration ensures that Sandawana’s production is immediately monetised while permanent processing infrastructure is developed on site.
Rural Industrialisation Takes Centre Stage
The Vice President positioned Sandawana’s development as the flagship project for Zimbabwe’s rural industrialisation agenda under the Second Republic.
“Now that entails us achieving that objective of rural industrialisation. And this place of Sandawana is going to be number one,” he declared. “Companies will be drawn, industries will be drawn, manufacturing companies will be drawn to come here to do a number of things.”
The transformation of Sandawana is expected to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs, with the sector nationally having already generated over 5,000 positions across six major lithium producers. Mutapa Energy’s aggressive exploration programme, targeting completion by the end of 2026, will further define resources on Blocks B and C, potentially expanding the operation’s scale and workforce requirements.
Dr. Chiwenga emphasised that Sandawana’s economic potential extends well beyond lithium, noting the area’s historical significance as an emerald producer and its known gold occurrences.
“And it’s not only lithium. This area, remember, if we had emeralds, we would have gold. And naturally, the soil is a good resource, a very good agricultural area,” he said. “So quite a number of things are going to be taking place.”
Recent exploration has confirmed the presence of tantalite, copper, and other minerals within the concession, positioning Sandawana as a multi-commodity development opportunity.
Community Engagement and Benefit Sharing
Central to the Vice President’s message was the imperative of community participation in the benefits flowing from Sandawana’s development. His engagement with traditional leaders, including Chief Ngungumbane and Chief Majibaza, underscored the government’s commitment to ensuring that local communities are direct beneficiaries of mining activity.
“That cooperation in making this resource beneficial, starting with the local communities and to the nation of Zimbabwe, has been thoroughly discussed,” he said.
Mutapa Energy has indicated that community development initiatives, including clinic construction, water provision infrastructure, and support for local enterprises, will be prioritised as cash flows improve with firmer lithium prices.
Policy Framework Driving Transformation
The Sandawana development is occurring within a policy environment deliberately calibrated to maximise national benefit from Zimbabwe’s critical mineral endowment. In a decisive move, the government announced an immediate suspension of all raw mineral and lithium concentrate exports on 25 February 2026, accelerating the original January 2027 deadline.
The ban, delivered by Minister of Mines and Mining Development Hon. Dr. Polite Kambamura, requires that only mining title holders with operational, in-country processing facilities may export value-added products such as lithium sulphate. This policy shift has fundamentally altered global lithium markets, with prices surging as approximately 100,000 to 180,000 tonnes of Lithium Carbonate Equivalent are removed from international supply chains.
For Zimbabwe, the policy ensures that companies such as Mutapa Energy, Sinomine’s Bikita Minerals, and Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe advance their processing facilities with urgency. Bikita is advancing a US$500 million phased lithium sulphate plant, while Prospect’s Arcadia facility — Africa’s first lithium sulphate plant — is set to commission imminently with a 50,000–60,000-tonne annual capacity.
Strategic Alignment with Vision 2030
The Vice President expressed satisfaction with the plans presented by Mutapa Energy management and articulated the government’s expectations for maximum value extraction.
“And I’m quite happy with the plans that have been presented before us by the CEO of this infrastructure, Mr. Rukweza — what they have given us, what their plans are,” Dr. Chiwenga said. “And we have now given them what we want to see from the government side, that we need to benefit from everything that we are putting out from the ground.”
This directive aligns perfectly with President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 agenda of transforming Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy through value addition, beneficiation, and industrialisation. Sandawana’s evolution from a historic emerald mine to a world-class lithium processing hub — and ultimately to a diversified industrial centre — embodies the Second Republic’s determination that Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth must benefit its people.
As the Vice President’s tour concluded, the message was unequivocal: Sandawana is not merely a mine — it is the future of Zimbabwean industrialisation, a flagship for rural development, and a testament to what is possible when strategic vision, policy clarity, and community partnership converge.
The lithium beneath its soil will power not only electric vehicles and aircraft equipment, but also the prosperity of generations yet to come.
