Junior Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe Secretary General Dosman Mangisi has challenged SADC governments to move beyond exporting raw minerals and build regional value chains capable of turning the bloc’s mineral wealth into industrial development, Mining Zimbabwe can report.

By Rudairo Mapuranga

Mangisi made the call on Wednesday during the MSU–SADC ASM Mining Symposium being held at Midlands State University in Gweru from September 23 to 25, where he presented on “Economic Development and Mining Value Chains.”

He argued that while SADC countries possess significant deposits of critical and strategic minerals, the region continues to capture only a limited share of the economic value generated after those minerals leave the ground.

“SADC is richest in minerals but poorest in benefits,” Mangisi said, arguing that the region must develop the capacity to process, refine and manufacture products from its own mineral resources.

He cited figures in his presentation showing that SADC accounts for substantial shares of global platinum, cobalt, gold, manganese, chrome and lithium resources, but said much of the region’s mineral production continues to leave the continent in relatively unprocessed form.

Mangisi used Zambia’s copper industry to illustrate the problem, noting that despite the country’s significant copper resources, it still imports copper wires from China.

For him, the challenge is therefore not simply increasing mineral production, but ensuring that more of the value created along the mining chain remains within the region.

“SADC will remain a quarry without beneficiation. With beneficiation, we become a factory,” he said.

Mangisi called for SADC countries to develop regional rather than purely national value chains, arguing that individual countries may not possess all the resources, infrastructure, markets and technical capacity required to establish complete mineral-to-product industries on their own.

He also called for investment in reliable power and infrastructure, skills development and financing for artisanal and small-scale miners, alongside measures to discourage the export of unprocessed minerals.

The presentation placed ASM within a much broader economic value chain, covering exploration, mine development, extraction, processing, beneficiation, refining, marketing and mine rehabilitation.

Mangisi said value can be created or lost at each stage, making it important for governments to develop policies that enable local businesses and mining communities to participate beyond the extraction stage.

He also highlighted the economic contribution of mining in the region. Citing figures presented at the symposium, Mangisi said diamonds account for a significant share of Botswana’s economy and exports, while mining contributes substantially to Zimbabwe’s economy and gold remains a major source of export earnings.

He said ASM in Zimbabwe also supports hundreds of thousands of livelihoods directly and indirectly, underlining the need for the sector to receive greater access to skills, technology, finance and formal markets.

Mangisi pointed to infrastructure associated with major mining operations, including developments around Unki, Mimosa and Hwange Colliery’s Dinson Cement Road, as examples of how mining investment can generate wider economic activity.

However, he cautioned that mineral wealth and mining investment do not automatically translate into development for surrounding communities, pointing to the experience of Marange as an example of unmet expectations.

The regional beneficiation question, he said, should ultimately be viewed through the products that mineral resources can support.

Using the Ford T6 as an illustration, Mangisi argued that minerals produced in SADC can ultimately form part of sophisticated manufactured products that are imported back into the region at substantially higher values.

His argument was that the region should not remain primarily a supplier of the raw materials required by industries elsewhere while importing the finished products those minerals help produce.

The MSU–SADC ASM Mining Symposium, organised by Midlands State University and the Open Society Foundation, has brought together policymakers, academics, miners, financiers, civil society organisations and development partners to examine ways of strengthening artisanal and small-scale mining across the region.

Discussions are focusing on sustainable capacity building and the role of ASM in the development of critical mineral supply chains, including lithium, nickel, chrome, copper and cobalt.

For Mangisi, the central challenge is now to ensure that SADC’s mineral endowment becomes the foundation for processing, manufacturing, jobs and broader industrial development rather than simply a source of raw materials for external markets.

Kavango Resources’ first-half 2026 revenue surged nearly fivefold to US$2.03 million as the Zimbabwe-focused miner moved its Hillside Gold Project towards own production, shifting from processing ore supplied by artisanal miners to developing its own underground feed, Mining Zimbabwe can report.

By Ryan Chigoche

The increase from US$420,000 a year earlier came as processing volumes rose at Hillside, where Kavango has declared a 33,900-ounce JORC-compliant gold resource at an average grade of 2.68 grammes per tonne at the Bill’s Luck mine.

The company has since begun commissioning a 50-tonnes-per-day carbon-in-leach (CIL) plant at Hillside, setting the stage for a transition from artisanal-supplied ore towards a more controlled mining and processing operation.

For Zimbabwe’s gold sector, the development adds another emerging producer to an industry dominated by a mix of large-scale mines and a vast artisanal and small-scale mining sector, with Kavango seeking to formalise production around its own resource and processing infrastructure.

The shift is particularly important because artisanal mining has formed part of Kavango’s operating model at Hillside while the company developed its own underground capacity.

During the six months ended June 30, a substantial portion of Kavango’s revenue came from treating ore produced by artisanal miners, including treatment charges and the further processing of residual material.

The company also reported mining by artisanal partners at the Steenbok and Britain areas.

That arrangement provided Hillside with feed for its processing operations while Kavango advanced its own underground development.

Towards the end of the reporting period, however, the company began processing its own ore from the Bill’s Luck underground mine through existing infrastructure.

The change marks a step towards the owner-operated model that Kavango says is central to its longer-term strategy for Hillside.

Resource gives Hillside defined base

The transition is being built around the Bill’s Luck resource, which stands at 33,900 ounces of gold at 2.68g/t under the JORC reporting standard.

The resource provides Kavango with a defined mineral inventory as it develops underground mining and processing capacity at the Zimbabwe project.

Metallurgical test work has indicated expected operating gold recoveries of between 90% and 93%.

That work has supported the development of the new 50-tonnes-per-day CIL plant, which Kavango began commissioning after the end of the reporting period.

The plant is designed to give the company dedicated processing capacity at Hillside while generating operational data that can be used as the project develops.

Kavango said commissioning progressed during July, with the plant processing material through crushing, milling, gravity concentration and the CIL circuit.

Financial position strengthens

The stronger Hillside performance was reflected in Kavango’s financial results, with revenue rising to US$2.03 million from US$420,000 in H1 2025.

Gross profit turned positive at US$471,000, compared with a US$410,000 loss a year earlier, while the operating loss narrowed to US$1.78 million from US$6.05 million. Basic loss per share improved to 0.04 US cents from 0.22 US cents.

The improved operating performance was accompanied by a stronger balance sheet, with total assets increasing to US$31.59 million at June 30 from US$23.16 million at the end of 2025. Net assets rose to US$30 million, while cash and cash equivalents stood at US$5.52 million.

Kavango invested US$6.92 million during the period, including US$3.76 million placed in escrow for the proposed Nara Gold Project acquisition. Nara comprises 45 gold claims covering about 415 hectares, roughly 22 kilometres south of Hillside, and has a history of underground and small-scale mining.

The investment forms part of Kavango’s broader expansion of its Zimbabwe gold portfolio, while the company continues to advance longer-term exploration in Botswana. Its work there includes three-dimensional magnetic modelling in the Kalahari Copper Belt and hydrogeochemistry programmes in the Kalahari Suture Zone.

The spending was supported by US$10.49 million in financing proceeds, mainly from equity fundraising, but Kavango cautioned that it will require additional funding over the next 12 months to support exploration, Hillside capital expenditure and corporate costs.

For now, the immediate focus remains on Hillside, where commissioning of the 50-tonnes-per-day plant is expected to support the company’s shift towards processing its own underground ore.

The US$120 million Shuntai Investments cement project in Chegutu is moving closer to commissioning, with mechanical installation of its 800,000-tonne-a-year cement production line expected to be completed by October 20, Mining Zimbabwe can report.

By Rudairo Mapuranga

The integrated project, which includes limestone mining, a 400,000-tonne lime production line and plans for a 50-megawatt thermal power plant, is expected to strengthen Zimbabwe’s domestic cement manufacturing capacity once operational.

Shuntai Investments General Manager Li Xiaodong said mechanical installation of the cement production line was progressing towards completion, with cable laying, wiring, grounding and integrated commissioning expected to follow.

“The mechanical installation of the 800,000-tonne cement production line is scheduled to be completed by October 20. Cable laying, wiring, grounding, and integrated commissioning are expected to be completed by mid-November,” he said.

The project is also being supported by an 88kV power supply line from Norton to Chegutu, which Li said was expected to be completed by October 20.

Design work for the project’s 50MW thermal power plant is also underway, meaning the power-generation component remains at an earlier development stage than the cement production line.

The development incorporates limestone mining, providing an upstream mineral component to the cement manufacturing operation.

Li said the first phase of the project was expected to support employment across cement production, power generation, limestone mining and logistics.

He said the cement production line would employ 400 people, while the thermal power plant and limestone mining operation would each employ 100 people. A further 100 employees would be taken on within the production operations, while logistics would account for about 300 jobs.

The project has also provided employment and skills-development opportunities for people in communities around Chegutu during construction.

Meanwhile, construction of the 400,000-tonne lime production line is progressing, with civil works having started on September 1 following completion of the design phase and shipment of equipment.

Shuntai is also planning a second phase of expansion from January 2027, with developments planned in Zvishavane, Harare, Bulawayo and Mutare.

According to Li, the Zvishavane expansion will include a 6,000-tonne-per-day cement clinker production line, a cement grinding line and a 50MW thermal power plant.

The company also plans cement grinding facilities in Harare, with a proposed capacity of one million tonnes a year, while facilities in Bulawayo and Mutare are planned at 500,000 tonnes a year each.

The planned expansion would extend Shuntai’s manufacturing footprint beyond Chegutu and increase the company’s involvement across the cement production value chain, from limestone mining and clinker production to cement grinding.

The Chegutu project comes as Zimbabwe seeks to expand domestic industrial and mineral-processing capacity, with cement production closely linked to demand from construction, infrastructure and other industrial activities.

Zimbabwe’s mining industry is gaining a new pipeline of technically trained workers through a China-Zimbabwe vocational training partnership that has equipped 31 Zimbabwean students with mechanical and electrical engineering skills, with some set to join Huayou Cobalt’s Zimbabwe operations as interns, Mining Zimbabwe can report.

By Rudairo Mapuranga

The students completed an 18-month China-Africa Applied Talents Joint Teaching Programme run by Ningbo Polytechnic University (NBPU) and Harare Polytechnic, with the training designed around the technical requirements of industry.

The programme’s industry component has brought Huayou Cobalt into the training process, with company engineers contributing to curriculum development and practical training.

At a graduation ceremony in Ningbo on September 17, a group of outstanding students received pre-employment offer letters for internships at Huayou Cobalt’s Zimbabwe base following their return home.

The development comes as Zimbabwe seeks to expand its mining and mineral-processing capacity, increasing demand for technicians capable of operating and maintaining increasingly sophisticated industrial equipment.

The training partnership has focused on mechanical and electrical engineering, disciplines that underpin mining operations, mineral processing, plant maintenance, power systems and other industrial activities.

Huayou Africa Industrial Group HR head for its Zimbabwe base, Chen Minghui, congratulated the graduates and encouraged them to build on their training through practical experience when they return to Zimbabwe.

The programme is part of a broader expansion of China-Zimbabwe cooperation in technical and vocational education.

Since 2022, Ningbo Polytechnic University and Harare Polytechnic have worked together under the China-Africa Applied Talents Joint Teaching Programme, while in May this year, NBPU, Zimbabwe’s Tertiary Education Service Council and Huayou Cobalt launched the Sino-Zimbabwe Engineering Technology Academy and the China-Zimbabwe Silk Road Teacher Capacity Building Centre.

The initiatives bring government, educational institutions and industry into a single training model aimed at developing technical skills linked to industrial requirements.

For Zimbabwe’s mining sector, the approach could provide a mechanism for developing locally based technical skills alongside investment in mines, processing facilities and other mining-related infrastructure.

The 31 graduates now return to Zimbabwe with practical training obtained in China, while those receiving Huayou’s internship offers have a direct route into one of the country’s major mining and processing operations.

The development also highlights the growing role of industry-linked technical education as Zimbabwe seeks to move beyond the extraction of minerals towards greater local processing and industrialisation.