Zimbabwe is set to bolster its mining sector with the establishment of an internationally recognized metallurgical laboratory.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Engineer Polite Kambamura, confirmed the government’s plans to create a laboratory that meets global standards, ensuring the country’s mineral exports are certified under the Joint Ore Reserves Committee (JORC) code.
“Currently, we are working to capacitate the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development MetLab, but there are plans to construct and establish an internationally recognized metallurgical laboratory, which meets international standards so that some players who want their lab results internationally recognized under JORC will have no problems. So it’s a work in progress. The government is going to come up with a proper internationally recognized METLab,” stated Eng Kambamura.
The existing government lab, MetLab, is primarily used for testing and sampling minerals for control purposes. However, international clients do not accept its reports, potentially costing Zimbabwe millions of US dollars in lost revenue. This gap underscores the urgent need for a certified laboratory to verify mineral quality before export.
At a recent meeting aimed at gathering input from producers, miners expressed the critical need for local laboratories capable of certifying minerals to international standards. Eng Kambamura acknowledged this challenge, emphasizing the potential financial benefits for the country. “We note the concern that miners are getting a variance on the quality of their product when it gets to the international market compared to their expectations before export,” he said. “Obviously, this calls for internationally certified local testing laboratories which can then certify our minerals before export, and we are guaranteed that what we would have gotten here cannot be disputed anywhere in the world.”
A representative from Zimlabs, a local testing firm, highlighted that they possess state-of-the-art technology that remains underutilized due to low uptake by miners. Zimlabs specializes in gold fire assay, base metal analysis, coal analysis, sample preparation, and analysis of lithium and rare elements. “We have state-of-the-art machinery to do that job for you, where if we give you our results, you are sure even if you export you will get the same results,” stated the Zimlabs director.
This initiative is particularly significant for sectors like chrome and chromium, where discrepancies between local and international quality assessments have led to financial losses for producers. Accurate mineral testing is crucial for geologists to determine the mineral’s quality and ensure it meets the necessary standards for export.
The establishment of an internationally certified metallurgical laboratory aligns with President Mnangagwa’s vision of economic turnaround through agriculture and mining. As Zimbabwe strives to become an upper-middle-income economy by 2030, the enhancement of its mineral certification capabilities will play a vital role in maximizing export earnings and boosting the mining sector’s contribution to the national economy.
