A US$3 million water pipeline linking Masembura to Bindura has been commissioned, providing Freda Rebecca Gold Mine and Bindura Municipality with an additional water supply following prolonged shortages that have affected both the mining operation and residents, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The 22-kilometre project, jointly funded by Mutapa Gold Resources, which owns Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, and Bindura Municipality, was officially commissioned on Monday, September 21, 2026.
The project forms part of efforts to improve water security in Bindura, where unreliable supplies have periodically affected households and industry.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Christopher Magomo said the project was significant for both the province and Bindura residents.
“We have commissioned it today on the 21st of September 2026. This is a milestone to Mashonaland Central Province as it adds up to our capital investment,” Magomo said.
“We look at this infrastructure actually giving value to our GDP and also looking at how it’s going to help the citizens of Bindura Municipality.”
The minister said the ultimate measure of the project’s success would be improved water availability for residents.
“We’ll be delighted if we see much more hours of water in our taps in Bindura. That would be a milestone,” he said.
Magomo also welcomed the collaboration between the mining company and the local authority.
“We are very happy also to see a partnership between a private player, Mutapa Gold Resources, and a local authority which has come to fruition today. To us, as a province, we applaud this development,” he said.
Water Security Critical for Freda Rebecca
Mutapa Gold Resources Chief Executive Officer Patrick Maseva-Shayawabaya said the project followed a water crisis that emerged in April 2025, when declining water levels threatened both Bindura and Freda Rebecca’s operations.
“Today is a very happy day for us as Mutapa Gold Resources. It’s the culmination of a process that began in April last year when we were threatened, as Freda Rebecca and as Bindura Town, with a shortage of water,” he said.
Maseva-Shayawabaya said water availability was critical to the continued operation of the gold processing plant.
“The reason why we ran around in April last year when Mwenje Dam was 36% was because we realised that if we ran out of water in Mwenje, we would actually close the plant. Without water, you can’t run a gold processing plant,” he said.
The new infrastructure gives the mine and municipality access to an additional water source, reducing their reliance on existing supplies.
“It means that security of water is no longer an issue for both ourselves as an operation and Bindura Town,” Maseva-Shayawabaya said.
He explained that the project includes a 500-cubic-metre balancing tank, with a pump station feeding water into the tank before it is conveyed by gravity to Freda Rebecca and Bindura Municipality.
“This is a 500 cubic metre tank. They call it a balancing tank. There’s a pump station 500 metres down there which pumps water into this balancing tank. From here, water is gravity-fed all the way to the Freda plant and all the way to the Bindura Municipality plant,” he said.
22km Pipeline
The project was implemented by ZINWA Enterprises (Private) Limited and incorporates a glass-reinforced plastic pipeline designed to have a service life of at least 50 years.
Mutapa Gold Resources funded 60 percent of the project, while Bindura Municipality is responsible for the remaining 40 percent.
The infrastructure includes a 500-cubic-metre balancing tank and an 800 kVA standby generator intended to maintain the pumping system during power interruptions.
The pipeline has a stated transmission capacity of 700 cubic metres per hour and comprises a 15-kilometre, 500mm-diameter main line, a three-kilometre, 350mm-diameter line supplying Freda Rebecca’s plant, and a four-kilometre, 300mm-diameter line connecting to Bindura Municipality’s water works.
The construction phase created about 80 local jobs.
Long-Standing Water Challenge
Bindura has experienced recurring water shortages, with the municipality relying on sources including the Mazowe River and Mwenje Dam in Chiweshe.
The shortages have affected residents and businesses in the town. In 2025, water supplies were disrupted for almost two weeks, forcing some residents to seek alternative sources.
Bindura South legislator Remigio Matangira, who also chairs the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development, has said the Masembura water project was first proposed as far back as 1992, highlighting the length of time the town has grappled with water supply challenges.
The commissioning therefore marks the completion of a project that has been discussed for decades, while also providing additional infrastructure for the town’s growing water requirements.
The project is also aligned with the Government’s Vision 2030 development agenda and the National Development Strategy 2, particularly its focus on infrastructure, water, sanitation and utilities.
Treatment Capacity Remains Key
While the new pipeline increases the amount of water that can be conveyed to Bindura, the municipality still needs to upgrade its water-treatment infrastructure to increase its capacity to process and distribute water to residents.
The next phase will therefore involve improving the municipality’s treatment capacity so that the additional raw water supplied through the pipeline can translate into more reliable water deliveries to households and businesses.
For Freda Rebecca, meanwhile, the project provides an additional layer of water security for its gold-processing operations, where uninterrupted water availability remains critical to production.
