In an effort to create mercury-free, responsible artisanal mining operations, Magaya Mining is rolling out a nationwide network of carbon-in-leach processing plants while expanding its Gadzema site into Zimbabwe’s largest gold recovery facility, Chief Executive Officer Zweli Lunga said.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The company’s strategy targets the elimination of mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, a sector that now delivers more than 75% of Zimbabwe’s gold to Fidelity Gold Refinery but has caused severe environmental damage. According to a 2025 study, 96% of artisanal sites still rely on mercury, releasing over 24 tonnes annually into water systems and contributing to deforestation and biodiversity loss.
“The current mining process, from a small-scale perspective, requires that when a miner mills his material, he recovers gravity gold. To amalgamate that, you use mercury,” Lunga told Mining Zimbabwe during an environmental awareness engagement at the Gadzema site in Chegutu. “But mercury is harmful – its half-life is about 500 years. If it gets into your lungs, it can perforate them. Wherever there is mercury, nothing else can grow. It pollutes water bodies, and the water you drink can kill you – very slowly and silently.”
Lunga said Magaya’s carbon-enriched plants recover gold without mercury.
“When the miner produces his ore, he doesn’t need to use mercury – our plants do the recovery. The gap we need to fill is ball milling. We buy the ore from the artisan, pay them upfront, and run it through ball mills. That way, we don’t need mercury.”
The company currently operates six plants across Zimbabwe, with a seventh opening in Bulawayo within the next two weeks.
“We opened Kwekwe two months back – a 2,000-tonne-a-day plant. We’re opening Bulawayo in the next week or two, another 1,000 tonnes a day. That will bring our total to about seven,” Lunga said.
“Our vision is that wherever there is gold mining in Zimbabwe, our Magaya plants will recover gold for small-scale miners – or any miner whatsoever. That way, we can reduce mercury use to absolute zero.”
In Kwekwe, Lunga noted, all local miners now process through Magaya’s plant, and mercury use there is already declining. Next year, the company plans to expand to Shurugwi, Mhondoro, and Gwanda, eventually covering all gold-producing provinces.
Zimbabwe’s Largest Processing Plant
Lunga said the existing Gadzema plant – rated at 3,500 tonnes per day – is the largest in Mashonaland West and the second-largest in Zimbabwe after the 5,000-tonne Frida plant. An expansion now underway adds another 2,000 tonnes of daily capacity.
“Because of demand, we’ve started to expand. New tanks are coming up, another 2,000-tonne plant. In total, we’re looking at a combined capacity of over 5,500 tonnes per day – that’s more than 120,000 to 130,000 tonnes per month. Larger than the biggest processing plant,” he said.
“Our confidence is that small-scale miners produce at scale. There are many of them, and if they are assisted with loans, infrastructure, and formalisation, they will easily produce 5,000 tonnes. Already, the plant we’re using now is full – that’s why we’re expanding. We’re sitting on a large stockpile. The new plant will take us to the biggest processing plant in Zimbabwe by capacity – and in terms of production as well.”
Taming Violence Through Formalisation
Artisanal mining sites have long been plagued by deadly clashes over claims, theft, and illicit trading. Lunga said Magaya has implemented strict access controls to stabilise operations.
“We put up a fence, have armed guards, and access controls. People are searched – we remove weapons, alcohol, and drugs, which are drivers of violence.”
Long-term, formalisation has been key.
“Once you create an enabling environment for artisanal miners to produce and make money, and once you teach them to treat their shafts as an office, a business, a company, the need for violence goes away. People want to come here, work, and make money for their families – violence takes a back seat.”
The results, Lunga said, have been dramatic.
“When I started here, guys were stabbing and killing each other, including in Chegutu town. This year alone, we’ve had zero mining-related criminality – zero. People no longer have time to kill each other; everybody has time to work and make money.”
Zimbabwe Miners Federation President Henrietta Rushwaya, speaking at the same event, said the artisanal sector contributed 36 tonnes of gold in 2025 and sustains an estimated 1.5 million livelihoods directly and indirectly.
“Thousands of families depend on mining, and our members contribute substantially to national mineral production,” she said.
However, Rushwaya identified access to mining land as “the most significant challenge” facing the sector. With roughly 85% of more than one million ASM operators still unregistered, formalisation remains incomplete. The Government’s proposed Mines and Minerals Bill, gazetted in June 2025, aims to replace the colonial-era 1961 Act and prioritise formalisation, environmental safeguards, and community engagement. ZMF has also introduced a “Gold Card” biometric ID system to bring informal miners into a verifiable national database.
Rushwaya said the sector needs continued attention on finance, equipment, and formal titles to boost productivity.
“We strive to increase productivity and contribute more meaningfully to the country’s national development,” she added.
The Minamata Convention on Mercury, ratified by Zimbabwe in 2019, requires the eventual elimination of mercury use in ASM. Magaya’s mercury-free processing model aligns with that commitment while offering miners a commercially viable alternative.
Lunga said the nationwide expansion will provide miners with a choice.
“Eventually, there won’t be any need for anyone to use mercury. Through our plants, we can reduce mercury use to absolute zero.”
With the Gadzema expansion set to make Magaya the country’s largest processor and a growing network of regional plants, the company is positioning itself at the centre of Zimbabwe’s push for responsible, formalised, and environmentally sustainable artisanal mining.
