Mining ZimbabweLatest Mining News, Policy and Industry Updates

In a rare display of corporate social responsibility that goes beyond boardroom promises, Kamativi Mining Company (KMC) hosted a Chinese medical team on July 10, 2025, offering free consultations and treatment to more than 400 people in the Kamativi community — a region that often finds itself cut off from reliable healthcare, Mining Zimbabwe can report.

By Rudairo Mapuranga

The outreach, held at the Kamativi Community Hall, saw a collaboration between KMC and the China Medical Team to Zimbabwe, supported by Rarlon Mining Company, in what locals described as a “miracle visit.” The medical team, consisting of 10 highly qualified specialists from multiple disciplines — including internal medicine, surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, paediatrics, and traditional Chinese medicine — worked with quiet precision and deep empathy.

For many, it was their first interaction with a specialist in years.

“This is a blessing. Medical services here are expensive, and most of us can’t travel far,” said a visibly moved elderly resident. Today we were seen by doctors for free. We are truly grateful.”

The event kicked off with a first-aid training session where villagers were taught lifesaving techniques, including CPR and the Heimlich manoeuvre — often overlooked skills in rural health interventions.

At the core of the program was a process as meticulous as it was humane. Local clinic nurse Mr. Phineas Mwiinda coordinated with the Chinese doctors to ensure patients were properly triaged. Dr. Zheng, one of the team leads, directed patients to appropriate specialists based on initial assessments. Diagnosis stations were manned across the hall, with examinations including ECGs, ultrasounds, and on-site medication dispensing.

Recognising the long queues and the distance some had travelled, KMC extended the event by an hour to ensure no one was turned away. Refreshments were served as people waited their turn, reflecting a level of care that went beyond medicine.

Among the four minor surgeries performed were three cases of lipoma removal and one neurofibroma case — all conducted onsite, providing relief to patients who had lived with visible, painful conditions for years without hope of affordable surgery.

“I had lost hope,” said Lazarus Sibanda, a 54-year-old who received treatment for a painful head tumour. “These doctors gave me back my life.”

The outreach was also a lifeline for early diagnosis. A local fisherman, Phiri M., learned during the screening that he was prediabetic. “Had I not come here, I wouldn’t have known until it was too late,” he said, clutching the dietary guide he was handed.

In communities where hospitals are hours away and even a simple consultation can cost days of wages, this was more than an event — it was a public health milestone.

KMC’s ongoing relationship with the Chinese medical team dates back to 2024, when they first invited the doctors to Kamativi. The team, currently stationed at Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare, includes three PhD holders and several associate professors, marking an intersection between global medical expertise and local humanitarian impact.

Speaking during the event, Ward 11 Councillor Joshua Tshuma commended KMC for exceeding expectations:

“Last year, we saw 250 people treated. This year, we surpassed that by midday. This isn’t just charity — it’s an investment in human lives.”

Chief Nekatambe, who presided over the proceedings, praised KMC’s consistent role in the community:

“I am very happy with what KMC is doing. They’ve brought Chinese doctors to our people, checking blood pressure, TB, diabetes, and even performing surgeries. This is a very good thing.”

The collaboration didn’t just end at diagnosis and treatment. Critical cases identified during the outreach will continue to be monitored by KMC, ensuring no patient is left behind due to poverty or distance.

This initiative forms part of KMC’s broader social development program, where health and education are prioritised as pillars of sustainable development. According to company representatives, discussions are already underway to regularise such clinics, offering ongoing support and skills training for local health workers.

A Mvuma magistrate has sentenced a man to five years in prison after he was caught digging for gold beneath a railway line—an act that authorities warn poses a serious threat to railway infrastructure and public safety, Mining Zimbabwe can report.

By Rudairo Mapuranga

The offender, identified as Jonas Tigere, a resident of Village 16, Tokwe 4, was apprehended on June 11 while engaging in illegal mining directly under the railway track. According to the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), Tigere was caught red-handed by NRZ Loss Control officers, who immediately handed him over to the police.

The NRZ, in a public statement, expressed deep concern over the rise in illegal mining activities within railway reserve land and issued a stern warning to artisanal miners involved in such practices.

“The NRZ continues to appeal to artisanal miners not to undertake mining activities within the railway reserve land, as this disturbs the track formation and threatens train movement. People caught mining within the railway reserve are liable to receive lengthy mandatory jail terms if convicted,” the statement read.

Mining beneath railway lines compromises track stability, weakens track ballast, and endangers passenger and cargo trains. Experts say such activities risk derailments and catastrophic accidents, especially on long-haul freight and passenger corridors like the Harare–Masvingo–Beitbridge route, where Mvuma is located.

The NRZ has reiterated that railway reserves are protected zones, and any disturbance to the soil and track formation can have disastrous consequences, not just for the rail company but for the economy and public safety at large.

A photo released with the NRZ statement shows a deep trench dangerously close to the railway track, highlighting the extent of the excavation that prompted swift intervention.

Tigere’s sentencing serves as a landmark ruling and a clear message to would-be offenders that tampering with railway infrastructure—especially through mining—is a criminal act punishable by lengthy custodial sentences.

Authorities continue to urge communities and artisanal miners to steer clear of railway reserves and instead pursue formalisation pathways within designated mining zones. The Ministry of Mines, in collaboration with the ZRP and NRZ, is expected to step up surveillance along key rail corridors to prevent further illegal activities.

As Zimbabwe’s mining and transport sectors grow in tandem, alignment between infrastructure protection and responsible mining has never been more urgent.

Zimbabwe is stepping up efforts to reform its mining sector, with the Responsible Mining Toolkit now in its final stages of development.

Spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Safety, Health and Environmental Council (ZIMSHEC), the initiative aims to tackle the rising number of mining disasters by promoting safer and more sustainable practices, especially among small-scale and artisanal miners.

The toolkit complements the Government’s Responsible Mining Audit, which enforces compliance with environmental, safety, and labour regulations across the industry.

ZIMSHEC Executive Director Philemon Mokuele confirmed that widespread consultations were conducted in Mberengwa and Gwanda, involving mine managers and key stakeholders from government agencies, local authorities, NGOs, and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA).

“We gathered frontline experiences to build a toolkit grounded in the real challenges miners face,” Mokuele said.

He emphasised the urgent need to formalise the artisanal mining sector, which often operates outside the law, posing serious health and environmental risks.

These include tuberculosis, silicosis, and noise-induced hearing loss, as well as widespread land degradation from reckless mining practices.

“Compliance remains low in the sector, which undermines formalisation efforts,” he noted. “This toolkit is designed to tackle those gaps head-on, offering clear, statutory-aligned guidelines for best practices in mining.”

As small-scale miners account for 60% of gold deliveries to Fidelity Printers and Refiners, their role in Zimbabwe’s mining-driven economy—contributing around 12% of GDP and the bulk of foreign exchange earnings—cannot be ignored.

ZIMSHEC has already rolled out safety training programs and PPE awareness campaigns, while investigating mining accident sites to uncover root causes. These insights directly inform the toolkit’s content.

With completion expected before year-end, the next steps include validation, nationwide training workshops, and adoption monitoring to ensure miners implement what they learn.

The urgency of these reforms is underscored by Zimbabwe’s mining death toll in 2023, which hit 237 fatalities—the worst in over five decades.

The government has repeatedly called for life-saving interventions, including proper drainage systems, reinforced mine supports, and real-time weather monitoring.

“This toolkit is more than a guide—it’s a lifeline,” Mokuele said. “Once launched, it will be distributed across all mining provinces to ensure maximum impact.”

Watch live the Caledonia Mining Solar plant Handover Ceremony to Cross Boundary Energy, Blanket Mine, Gwanda, Zimbabwe.

WATCH LIVE

In October 2024 Caledonia announced that it had signed a conditional sale agreement for the entire issued share capital of its Zimbabwe subsidiary, Caledonia Mining Services (Private) Limited, which owns and operates the 12.2MWac solar plant that supplies power to Blanket Mine. CMS was sold to CrossBoundary Energy Holdings (“CBE”) for $22.35 million, payable in cash, and the power generation of the solar plant will continue to be sold to Blanket Mine by way of a power purchase agreement.

Highlights

• Upon completion of the sale, Caledonia will realise a profit on the $14.3 million construction cost by selling the plant for $22.35 million.
• Completion of the sale will return capital to Caledonia at a key moment in the Company’s growth trajectory.
• Caledonia will retain the exclusive energy off-take, ensuring approximately a fifth of Blanket Mine’s daily electricity requirement continues to be met by renewable power.
• CBE has been invited to tender for an expansion of the solar plant to deliver further renewable energy to Blanket Mine.

The construction of the solar plant was initially financed by a registered offering of Caledonia’s shares in the US in 2020, and this raised $13 million through the issue of 597,963 shares.

Since commissioning in February 2023, the solar plant has generated over 47,350Mwh of power, and profits attributable to the solar plant for the year ended December 31, 2023 were $728,023. The power generated from the solar plant has significantly reduced the use of diesel generators and grid power at Blanket Mine, ensuring approximately a fifth of the mine’s daily electricity needs are met by solar power. The plant will continue to supply Blanket Mine under an exclusive power purchase agreement.

The sales consideration will be reinvested in Caledonia’s other projects that are expected to yield a higher return to our shareholders and will have the added benefit of focusing management’s attention on our core business of gold mining and exploration.

South African mining companies play a significant role in Zimbabwe’s mining industry through significant investments, ownership of key assets, and participation in joint ventures across platinum, gold, and infrastructure sectors.

Platinum Powerhouses: Implats, Sibanye, Valterra and Tharisa

Zimplats

Impala Platinum (Implats) holds an 87% stake in Zimplats, Zimbabwe’s largest platinum producer, operating across five underground mines and a smelter complex on the Great Dyke.

Mimosa

Implats also co-owns the Mimosa Mine in a 50/50 partnership with Sibanye-Stillwater, producing around 255 koz PGM concentrate per year.

Unki Mine

Recently owned by Anglo American Platinum (Amplats), Unki Mine is now owned by Valterra Platinum and produces an output of approximately 65 koz annually. Anglo still holds a 19.9% which it plans to reduce over time, but intends to do so responsibly and gradually. 

Tharisa & Karo SEZ

South Africa–listed Tharisa benefits from Zimbabwe’s special economic zone at Karo, where it holds a 27% indirect stake via Karo Zimbabwe, enjoying fiscal incentives in the Great Dyke region. 

Infrastructure & Support Services

Grindrod & Beitbridge–Bulawayo Railway (BBR)

South Africa’s Grindrod unit supports Zimbabwe’s freight rail revival by supplying locomotives and wagons to the BBR, aiding mineral export logistics.

AECI / AEL Mining Services

The Johannesburg‐based company supplies explosives and blasting services across Zimbabwean mine sites.

PPC Ltd

This South African cement conglomerate operates a cement factory and lime plant in Zimbabwe, serving mining infrastructure needs. The company operates multiple cement plants and a milling depot, contributing to the company’s overall capacity of around nine million tons of cement products annually.

South African firms contribute significantly to Zimbabwe’s mining GDP and foreign currency earnings. Revenue from Zimplats, Mimosa, and Unki alone accounts for over half of the nation’s exports. However, like all global operations, Zimbabwean affiliates face persistent challenges, including the PGM Price Slump.

Zimplats registered an $8.8 million loss in H2 2023, prompting voluntary job cuts and the deferment of capital-intensive projects.

Power shortages also impede operations across multiple mines, highlighting the need for sustainable energy solutions. This is also an open opportunity for investors intending to invest in the Energy sector.

However, despite these challenges, firms like Zimplats are maintaining investment momentum and remarkable CSR initiatives. A $1.8 billion expansion plan is currently underway, including smelter upgrades and solar power installations.

Zimbabwe’s success hinges on continued collaboration—partnering South African expertise with local policies to build resilient, growth-driven mining ecosystems.