The government of Zimbabwe, on 25 February 2026, in an ambitious drive, banned the export of raw lithium.
Dr Hoitsimolimo Mutlokwa
This ban also applies to lithium that has already been extracted and is in transit to the exit borders of Zimbabwe, or to the ports of Beria or Durban, for export to China. As of 08 April 2025, the Zimbabwe government, amongst other conditions, gave mining companies terms to ensure that they set up lithium sulphate plants subject to the standard approval of the minister by 01 January 2027. As mining is Zimbabwe’s second-largest contributor, it cannot be ignored that protecting other natural resources and habitats throughout the entire value chain is essential to ensure Zimbabwe gains significantly from lithium mining. China is dominant. Chinese firms are the dominant investors in the extraction of lithium hard rock in Zimbabwe and in the processing of such rock into lithium spodumene.
Lessons From the Devastation of Water Resources in the Extraction of Other Minerals
Zimbabwe is battling with illegal artisanal and formalised small-scale miners who have compromised the main river sources and tributaries feeding dams that supply water to large populations. Artisanal mining has caused stream diversions and heavy siltation in the receiving dams of rivers where such mining is taking place. For instance, the country received three times the average rainfall, yet some dams have barely reached reasonable capacity. For the first time, the nation has failed to reach 100% capacity in some of its largest dams due to low water levels. Mazowe dam, Upper Ncema dam, Lower Ncema dam, and Umzingwane dam are examples of the crisis mining poses to the indirect, intentional and unintentional sabotage of scarce water resources as a result of artisanal mining. This must be an alarm bell that rings down the strategic planning for tapping present water sources to process extracted hard rock to obtain lithium spodumene.
High Water Use in Lithium Processing
Lithium in Zimbabwe is entirely extracted from hard rock and processed into lithium spodumene. This process of hard rock extraction requires about 80,000 litres per tonne of hard rock ore to produce spodumene concentrate. For a country with agricultural regions 4 to 5, where more than half of the lithium mines are located in semi-arid areas, this high water requirement creates tension with scarce water resources, which must be used sparingly. Especially in a country plagued by ruthless dry seasons and erratic rainfall.
Chinese Dominance in Lithium Infrastructure Investments
Presently, the majority of investment in lithium mining comes from Chinese foreign investors who set up all three existing lithium processing plants, with a fourth currently under construction. The first being the Arcadia lithium plant in Harare, and the second being the Bikita lithium mine in Masvingo. The most recently completed one is the Gwanda Lithium plant, located about 80 km south of Gwanda town. This Gwanda lithium plant was completed in March 2025. It is expected to produce 200,000 tonnes of lithium concentrate annually. The fourth plant is currently under construction in Sandawana, in the Midlands province, and will also process large quantities of ore presently transported to the Gwanda lithium mine to produce lithium concentrate.
Urgent Need for Water Infrastructure and Dam Investment
Fortunately, the past two rainfall seasons, 2024/2025 and 2025/2026, have blessed Zimbabwe with above-average rainfall, with some major dams already spilling. However, on closer inspection, some dams near mining activity have less water. While the water use process in lithium extraction differs from that in gold extraction, the primary negative impact is the disturbance of delicate water systems.
Another factor to be taken into account is that the Zimbabwean government has banned the export of spodumene lithium (raw lithium) in order to ensure that added value to lithium is done within Zimbabwe. The government of Zimbabwe anticipates that domestic industries will be formed to produce end products, such as lithium batteries and possibly electric vehicles, for both domestic and foreign markets. For proper profits and benefits in the form of tax from exports to be realised, this would require the current electricity output to increase by 4 to 5 times without disrupting supply for other uses, such as household supply and other sectors of the economy. Lake Kariba’s electricity output is currently shared with Zambia, and additional water pumping would compromise the delicate dam levels, which last reached 100% capacity in 1963. Presently, Lake Kariba is only 17.47% full.
Essentially, this piece argues that industrialising lithium manufacturing to produce end products cannot be achieved overnight. But it would need to be done gradually without compromising the already delicate water resources that both commercial and subsistence farmers depend on for their livelihoods.
Such incomplete dam projects, which need massive financial capital that Zimbabwe does not readily have access to, that come to mind are the Gwayi Shangani Dam and Thuli Manyange Dam. These dams, if completed, can supply piped water to existing lithium mines, with proper plans in place to ensure wastewater from lithium plants does not compromise local water sources. Water can be piped to existing lithium plants, namely the Gwanda lithium plants and Kamativi lithium mine or Zulu mine. Zimbabwe has the largest inland dam, the Tokwe Mukosi dam, which is heavily underutilised. This could be a water source for the upcoming lithium plant in Sandawana without putting pressure on nearby water sources around the mine.
Outlook
Evidently, Zimbabwe needs to invest heavily in water resources and water infrastructure. The ambitious drive to ban lithium exports indicates that Zimbabwe is not ready to achieve its immediate goal of profiting heavily from lithium end products manufactured within its borders. The current state of water resources and water infrastructure is not adequate to ensure full beneficiation. Furthermore, current water resources have not been fully tapped due to insufficient investment in water infrastructure. A starting point would be a clear plan to draw piped water from dams such as Tokwe Mukosi to supply mines such as Sandawana and Bikita lithium, enabling full beneficiation. Zimbabwe needs to strike a balance between reforming its water laws and investing in water infrastructure to ensure the process succeeds without violating human rights.
Short Biography
Dr Hoitsimolimo Mutlokwa is a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Mineral & Energy Resources Law in Africa, University of Cape Town, Faculty of Law, Department of Private Law
Email address: [email protected] or [email protected]
