Karo Platinum, Zimbabwe’s most promising platinum group metals (PGM) Tier 1 asset, is set to construct a tailings storage facility (TSF) that will feature advanced safety and stability measures as the company leverages its open-pit mining operations, Mining Zimbabwe reports.
By Kelvin Sungiso
A tailings storage facility is a critical component of modern mining operations, providing a controlled and secure system for storing waste material generated during mineral processing.
When properly designed and managed, a TSF reduces the risk of dam failures, water contamination, and dust emissions, while protecting workers, surrounding communities, and the environment.
It also plays a central role in regulatory compliance, operational continuity, and responsible mine closure.
At Karo Platinum, the TSF has been designed to leverage the project’s open-pit mining model, which generates significant volumes of waste rock.
The facility will be located approximately one kilometre from the main project site and will use waste rock from mining operations as a core structural component.
In an interview with Mining Zimbabwe, Karo Platinum Plant Manager Qhubekani Moyo said the TSF will have a high safety factor, something that is yet to be seen in the sector.
“We are building a tailings dam that is a first of its kind in the PGM sector in Zimbabwe. We’re taking advantage of the fact that we’re doing opencast mining and we’re generating a lot of waste rock from the opencast mining.
“The advantage of that tailings dam is that the safety factor on that tailings dam is very high. None of the tailings dam failures that have been recorded in the world so far involve that kind of tailings dam design,” Moyo said.
Unlocking the full potential of Karo Platinum will require a US$543 million investment to move the Tier 1 PGM asset into production, with the TSF expected to consume a significant portion of this capital.
The high capital expenditure is largely driven by the distance required to transport waste rock from the open-pit mine to the tailings dam site.
TSF to Combine Structural Stability with Operational Efficiency
The tailings storage facility will be constructed as a waste-banded tailings dam with an operational life of ten years. Development will be carried out in three distinct phases, referred to as raises, progressing from raise one to raise three over the life of the facility.
While the initial capital outlay is substantial, operating costs are expected to be significantly lower than those of conventional self-raised tailings dams.
Once the bund walls are in place, waste rock will be directly deposited into the facility, reducing ongoing operational costs by limiting the number of operators required and minimising construction material inputs.
The construction timeline for the TSF has been aligned with the commissioning of the processing plant. Raise one is scheduled for completion by the time the plant is commissioned.
Raise two will follow in the second year of operation, while raise three will be constructed in year three.
From that point, raise three will provide sufficient capacity to support operations for the remainder of the TSF’s ten-year lifespan.
Tharisa’s Karo Platinum Project, expected to commence production by 2027, is poised to secure the future of Zimbabwe’s platinum group metals (PGM) production amid growing calls for succession planning in the sector.
The project’s first phase is projected to produce 226,000 (6E) ounces annually, boosting national PGM output by 20 per cent and contributing nearly 2 per cent to Zimbabwe’s GDP, underscoring its strategic importance to the country.
Situated on the Great Dyke near Mhondoro-Ngezi in Mashonaland West, Karo Platinum is emerging as the most advanced new platinum development in the country.
Designed at scale and backed by significant capital investment, the project is increasingly seen as the natural successor required to ensure continuity in Zimbabwe’s platinum sector.
