Fidelity Gold Refinery (FGR) has opened a new gold buying office at Mazowe Post Office, bringing formal gold sales closer to local miners. The office offers instant cash payments, reducing travel, transport costs, and security risks while promoting safe and formal deliveries.
This move eliminates the need for miners in the area to travel long distances to sell their gold, the company has announced.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The move is the latest in a series of initiatives by Zimbabwe’s sole gold buyer and exporter to decentralise its operations, reduce transaction costs for artisanal miners, and encourage formal deliveries by making the selling process faster and more convenient.
“You no longer have to travel long distances to sell your gold. Simply deliver your gold to our new buying office and get instant cash payments on the spot,” FGR said in an announcement shared on its social media platforms.
Mazowe, located in Mashonaland Central Province, is one of Zimbabwe’s historic gold mining districts, hosting a mix of large-scale operations and a vibrant artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector. However, miners have often faced logistical hurdles, including transport costs, security risks, and time lost when travelling to FGR’s main Harare refinery or other distant buying points.
The new office, situated at a recognisable and accessible landmark, addresses those challenges directly. By offering instant cash payments on the spot, FGR ensures that miners can immediately reinvest in their operations, pay workers, or support their families without delay.
“This is exactly what we have been asking for,” said Simba, a local miner who spoke to Mining Zimbabwe. “Now we can sell in the morning and be back at our shafts by midday. No more spending two days on the road.”
FGR’s expansion of its buying agent network and direct purchase points has been a key pillar of Zimbabwe’s strategy to formalise the ASM sector, which now contributes approximately 75% of national gold deliveries.
By making formal channels more convenient for buyers than informal channels, FGR reduces the incentive for side marketing and smuggling, activities that deprive the national fiscus of royalties, taxes, and foreign currency.
