Mining ZimbabweLatest Mining News, Policy and Industry Updates

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.

Investing in African Mining Indaba confirms that His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema, President of the Republic of Zambia, will deliver the Keynote Address in the Opening Ceremony at Investing in African Mining Indaba 2026, scheduled to take place from 9-12 February 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa.

His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema’s attendance underscores Zambia’s renewed positioning at the centre of Africa’s evolving mining and investment landscape.

President Hichilema’s participation comes at a pivotal moment for Zambia’s mining sector, as the country advances a reform agenda focused on building strong foundations through regulatory certainty, transparency, enhanced institutions, and the deployment of game-changing mining technologies to unlock long-term growth. Recent years have seen Zambia prioritise digital licensing systems, improved geological data management, and modernised regulatory frameworks designed to reduce friction for investors while strengthening state oversight.

These reforms are increasingly reflected in global investor sentiment, signalling growing confidence in the country’s policy environment, governance standards, and commitment to predictable, rules-based engagement with industry.

At Mining Indaba 2026, President Hichilema is expected to outline Zambia’s vision for scaling copper and critical mineral production through technology-led efficiencies, responsible investment, and deeper alignment between government strategy and private capital, placing particular emphasis on how innovation – from data-driven exploration to cleaner processing technologies – is reshaping Zambia’s competitiveness at a time of intensified global demand for energy transition minerals.

Mining Indaba provides a platform for direct dialogue between African governments and the global mining and investment community. President Hichilema’s participation reinforces Zambia’s intent to engage openly with investors, partners, and multilateral institutions on the practical steps required to deliver sustainable growth, value addition, and long-term resilience in the mining sector.

About Investing in African Mining Indaba

Investing in African Mining Indaba is Africa’s largest mining investment conference, convening governments, mining companies, investors, and financiers from across the global mining value chain. The annual event provides a platform for policy dialogue, deal facilitation, and investment promotion to support responsible and sustainable mining across Africa.

The High Court in Bulawayo has granted an order for the restoration of possession at Vubachikwe Gold Mine to its registered leaseholder, following an urgent chamber application, Mining Zimbabwe can report.

By Rudairo Mapuranga

In a hearing before Honourable Justice Ndhlovu on Monday, 2 February 2026, the court ordered that Mining Lease 16, which incorporates Vubachikwe Mine in Gwanda, be restored to Forbes & Thompson (Bulawayo) (Private) Limited.

The order, issued by consent, directs respondents Moses Langa, Aldonia Gondo, Madodana Sibanda, Taison Mutengeni, Takeson Moyo, and Alot Ndlovu to vacate the mining location. The Minister of Mines and Mining Development was listed as the seventh respondent in the court papers. The Sheriff of the High Court, with the assistance of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, was authorised to implement the order if necessary.

The court granted a spoliation order, a legal remedy used to restore possession to a party that has been dispossessed without due legal process. The matter was resolved through the established judicial system, demonstrating the availability of legal channels for resolving commercial disputes in the mining sector.

Vubachikwe Mine is an established underground gold operation in the Gwanda Greenstone Belt. It is held under Mining Lease 16 by Forbes & Thompson, a subsidiary of Duration Gold Zimbabwe.

The court’s ruling affirms the principle that commercial disputes within the mining sector are subject to and resolved by Zimbabwe’s legal system.

The government’s strategic push to transform Zimbabwe into a regional ferrochrome hub is yielding concrete results, with the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) reporting a striking divergence in the performance of the chrome sector for the 2025 financial year. With sales of high-value ferro-alloys surging ahead while exports of raw chrome ore stagnated, the data underscores a pivotal shift as the nation successfully moves up the value chain to capture more revenue from its mineral wealth, Mining Zimbabwe can report.

By Rudairo Mapuranga

For the 2025 financial year, MMCZ sold 433,293 metric tonnes of ferro-alloys, including ferrochrome and ferrosilicon, valued at US$372 million. This represents a substantial 19% increase in volume and an 11% increase in value from the previous year. In contrast, the trade in raw chrome ore concentrates told a different story. MMCZ sold 886,752 metric tonnes of concentrates, generating US$150 million. While export volume increased marginally by less than 1%, the revenue generated fell by 12% year-on-year due to lower global prices.

This impressive growth in ferro-alloy sales is the direct outcome of a deliberate and accelerating government policy. Strategic interventions include linking new chrome mining rights to commitments for building or expanding local smelting capacity, a move designed to incentivise processing plants over mere mining. Furthermore, authorities are actively consulting on implementing a total ban on the export of raw chrome ore, aiming to close policy loopholes and ensure all ore is beneficiated domestically. This framework is already attracting scale, with projects like the Palm River initiative planned to reach a massive capacity of 1 million tonnes of ferrochrome per year.

The strategy’s timing is advantageous, coinciding with a significant realignment in the global ferrochrome market. South Africa, the traditional powerhouse, faces severe production cuts due to high electricity costs and market pressures, with 2025 output potentially halving from 2024 levels. This has created a substantial supply gap, presenting Zimbabwe with a critical window to position itself as a primary alternative source of ferrochrome for key consumers in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Despite the positive trajectory, the sector must navigate persistent challenges to capitalise on this opportunity fully. Unstable and costly electricity supply remains a major constraint for energy-intensive smelting operations. Additionally, infrastructure and logistical bottlenecks can hamper the efficient movement of volumes to ports.

The data confirms Zimbabwe’s chrome strategy is on the right track. By prioritising ferrochrome production, the nation not only earns more from its vast chrome reserves but also creates more jobs, stimulates industrial development, and reduces vulnerability to volatile raw ore prices. With global demand steady and a major competitor retreating, Zimbabwe’s focused policy mix could solidify its role as a growing force in the global ferrochrome market.

Contango Holdings Plc has cleared a key regulatory hurdle at Zimbabwe’s Muchesu coal project. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has approved a revised ownership and operating structure that brings in Pacific Goal Investments Private Limited (PGI) as project operator, Mining Zimbabwe can report.

By Ryan Chigoche

The approval formalises the transfer of majority control in Monaf Investments (Private) Limited, the company that holds the Muchesu coal asset.

It also brings to a close a restructuring phase aimed at moving the project closer to development.

For Contango, the decision marks a shift from corporate realignment to execution planning.

Located in Binga, Matabeleland North, the Muchesu project hosts a coal resource estimated at more than two billion tonnes.

This places it among Zimbabwe’s largest undeveloped energy assets.

The project is positioned as a long-term mine-to-energy opportunity with national significance.

Confirming completion of the process, Contango announced the Hong Kong firm as the registered executor of the project.

“Contango Holdings Plc, a company focused on unlocking value from the +2 billion tonne Muchesu coal project in Zimbabwe, is pleased to advise the completion of registration with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe for the transfer of 51 percent ownership of Monaf Investments (Private) Limited from Contango to Pacific Goal Investments Private Limited. PGI has also now been registered as the operator of the project.”

Under the revised structure, PGI now holds 51 per cent of Monaf Investments. Contango retains a 24 per cent interest. Lilyone Investments owns 6.5 per cent, while local minority shareholders hold the remaining 18.5 per cent.

Contango has previously indicated that separating ownership from operations was a deliberate move.

The scale of Muchesu requires significant capital and operational depth. Retaining equity while appointing an experienced operator allows the company to manage risk without giving up long-term value.

PGI forms part of the Pacific Goal Group, a Hong Kong-based industrial group with established mining and energy operations in Zimbabwe.

“As previously reported, PGI forms part of the Pacific Goal Group, a Hong Kong-based industrial group with extensive mining and energy operations in Zimbabwe, including a major mine-to-energy industrial park, incorporating two power stations, a graphite processing plant and a nickel smelter.

PGI is co-owned by Mr Wencai Huo, the company’s 20.42 per cent shareholder, and Mr Liu Jun.”

Beyond the ownership changes, Muchesu is increasingly seen as strategically important. This is true at both provincial and national levels. Large coal assets are again drawing attention as Zimbabwe looks to stabilise power supply and support industrial growth.

For Contango, RBZ approval provides regulatory certainty. It also creates a clearer pathway for the project to advance with a partner that has existing mine-to-energy experience in the country.

The Muchesu coal asset has long been regarded as a cornerstone resource in Matabeleland North.

Historical exploration has confirmed a substantial, long-life deposit. Its location places it within reach of regional power demand centres and infrastructure corridors.

If developed, the project could support power generation, industrial energy needs, and broader economic activity over several decades.