Zimbabwe’s Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr Polite Kambamura has declared a renewed offensive against the illicit export of gold, lithium and diamonds, vowing that the government will pursue traffickers with relentless force as the country moves to plug a leak that has cost it billions in lost revenue, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
Speaking at the just-concluded Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe Annual General Meeting and Conference, Dr Kambamura said mineral leakages are bleeding the economy of critical foreign currency, state revenue and jobs.
“We remain uncompromising in combating gold leakages and smuggling. Every gram of gold lost through illicit channels represents lost foreign currency, lost revenue and lost national development opportunities,” he said. “A tonne of lithium smuggled out of the country, a carat of diamond exported illicitly — that is revenue lost and jobs exported.”
The minister’s tough stance follows persistent concerns over illicit flows in the extractive sector. The Centre for Natural Resource Governance has estimated that up to 36 tonnes of gold could be smuggled out of Zimbabwe annually, more than half of official production at the time.
Investigators have described Zimbabwe’s mineral leakages as “industrial-scale looting”, involving “a complex web of criminal syndicates, state-embedded actors and private-sector entities”, according to a 2025 report by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime. “Non-renewable resource crimes are among Zimbabwe’s most profitable illicit markets,” the report added.
Lithium smuggling networks exploit porous borders through mislabelled shipments, forged customs documents and bribes paid to border officials. In one case, a truck driver carrying a sealed container he believed held chrome was impounded after inspectors discovered raw lithium inside — an illegal export under Zimbabwean law. Officials sometimes lack the geological expertise to identify lithium ores, creating gaps that are easily exploited by exporters.
Investigative journalists have played a pivotal role in exposing smuggling networks. In April 2025, an undercover investigation by Oxpeckers uncovered a transnational lithium smuggling ring moving ore through South Africa and Mozambique, revealing how “majors” (local fixers) and compromised border guards facilitated the illicit trade.
The investigation also highlighted a startling anomaly. South Africa, which has minimal domestic lithium production, suddenly recorded a 147,000-tonne surge in lithium ore exports to China in 2024, pointing directly to Zimbabwe as the source.
Against this backdrop, Kambamura said cracking down on smuggling is the critical first step towards safeguarding Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth and warned that the government would not compromise in its efforts to stem the outflow of unprocessed minerals.
Zimbabwe is estimated to lose up to US$15 billion annually through illicit financial flows (IFFs), with gold and precious stones identified as major drivers.
These outflows exceed the government’s entire US$12 billion mining sector target, underscoring the devastating economic impact of smuggling.
“It is looting at an industrial scale,” said Farai Maguwu, executive director of the Centre for Natural Resource Governance.
Despite government pledges and a raft of policy interventions, including a ban on raw lithium exports, smuggling networks continue to exploit weak enforcement, official complicity and porous borders.
The scale of losses has led observers to warn that, without genuine institutional reform, Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth will continue to enrich foreign markets and criminal syndicates rather than its own citizens.
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