Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development Dr Thomas Utete Wushe has hailed Freda Rebecca Gold Mine’s exploration drive, saying the operation’s deployment of at least 10 drilling rigs could significantly extend its mine life.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Wushe made the remarks during his first mine visit since his appointment to the Ministry, after touring Freda Rebecca Gold Mine in Bindura and receiving updates on its production, exploration, contract mining and community initiatives.
Speaking to Mining Zimbabwe on the sidelines of the visit, Wushe said the experience had given him valuable first-hand insight into the realities of mining and would inform policy formulation and implementation under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
“I am very impressed with the operations here,” Wushe said.
He said policymakers could lack practical understanding of mining realities when working primarily from their offices.
“As we sit in our offices talking and contributing to ideas and also seeing how we can get our NDS2 on speedy implementation and fast-forward things, getting everything to go at the speed that we would like to achieve by 2030, we may lack the physical experience of what is happening here,” he said.
Wushe said his visit had provided what he described as “tailwind” for policy formulation, implementation oversight and efforts to remove impediments affecting gold production and mining more broadly.
“My visit today, I would say it gave me what I would call tailwind for the policy formulation and overseeing the policy implementation and trying to get rid of any impediments around gold production and also mining in general,” he said.
Exploration at the Centre of Mine Sustainability
Wushe was particularly encouraged by Freda Rebecca’s exploration programme, which he said aligned with the Ministry’s focus on resource intelligence.
The Permanent Secretary said resource intelligence is the first pillar of the Ministry’s five-pillar strategy, stressing that Government needs to establish the extent of Zimbabwe’s mineral resources.
“It is absolutely important and non-negotiable for us to know what is down there,” Wushe said.
He said Government was pursuing exploration on a wider scale, beginning with aeromagnetic surveys followed by ground-truthing to establish the country’s mineral resources.
Wushe said he was excited to learn that Freda Rebecca had at least 10 drilling rigs operating.
“Most importantly, I was told that at this mine we have at least 10 rigs drilling. That means at that pace we will be able to extend the life of this mine phenomenally within a very short space of time, which is really good,” he said.
He encouraged other mining companies to adopt a combination of self-exploration and contract exploration.
“I wish all mines could get into that and bring in a blended solution of contract exploration and self-exploration. The Government will be there to support these initiatives,” he said.
Freda Rebecca Invests US$13.5 Million
Freda Rebecca General Manager Dr Alfred Chinyere confirmed that exploration is currently a major focus for the mine.
“We are happy with what we are doing as a business. Right now, our focus is exploration, which is the focus of the Ministry as well,” Chinyere said.
He said the company was investing approximately US$13.5 million in exploration this year as it seeks to build the resource base required to sustain the operation.
“We are investing around 13.5 million into exploration this year alone, which is supporting the whole vision of the Ministry of Mines,” he said.
Chinyere said the exploration programme was also responding to the mine’s planned increase in throughput, with the company preparing its resource base to support higher production.
“Our exploration programme is responding to that so that we have a good resource to be able to achieve that kind of throughput,” he said.
Mashonaland Central Targets Seven Tonnes
Wushe also highlighted Freda Rebecca’s contribution to Mashonaland Central’s gold production target.
He said the province is targeting seven tonnes of gold in 2026 and had reached approximately five tonnes at the time of his visit.
“We are very much within target. But more pleasing, at Freda, I’ve heard that they are way above their production target,” Wushe said.
He said the Ministry would support Freda Rebecca to increase production further as Government seeks to raise gold output and advance the country’s Vision 2030 objectives.
“My other objective and the main objective is to see how this province can up its production in gold and other minerals towards the achievement of our Vision 2030,” he said.
Contract Mining Creates Local Opportunities
Wushe also praised Freda Rebecca’s contract-mining model and its efforts to develop local businesses within its supply chain.
During the visit, he observed a company that had progressed from incubation into undertaking significant contract mining work for Freda Rebecca.
“I also saw in action what this mine is doing about contract mining. That means they are now focusing on developing supply chain members,” he said.
“This is what I want to see. I also saw the participation of indigenous entrepreneurs in this gold supply chain, upstream and downstream supply chain.”
Wushe said such participation demonstrated how a mine could operate as part of a wider economic ecosystem and create benefits beyond the mine’s direct operations.
“This is really something that will hold the world to come and see how a mine can exist in its ecosystem and build economic benefits for everyone,” he said.
Ministry Seeks Wider Economic Impact
Wushe said the Government wanted mining operations to generate broader economic development in surrounding communities rather than functioning as isolated production centres.
“We do not want to see just bright lights around this mine. We want to see much more,” he said.
He also commended Freda Rebecca’s community initiatives, saying the company had made a positive contribution to communities around the operation.
For Chinyere, the visit was an opportunity for the company to demonstrate its operations while raising issues requiring Government intervention.
He said mining required quick regulatory responses because delays over mineral rights, boundaries and other operational issues could affect production.
“You raise an issue, you would want a prompt response. Mining is dynamic, you want agility,” Chinyere said.
He welcomed efforts to strengthen communication between mining companies, Provincial Mining Directorate offices and the Permanent Secretary’s office.
Wushe’s first mine visit since joining the Ministry therefore brought together his policy priorities around resource intelligence, exploration and increased production with Freda Rebecca’s ongoing investment in extending its resource base.
With at least 10 rigs drilling and US$13.5 million committed to exploration in 2026, Freda Rebecca’s programme provides a practical example of the exploration-led approach Wushe says Zimbabwe needs to sustain its mining industry and advance the objectives of NDS2 and Vision 2030.
