Unki Mine has become the first mining operation globally to complete a full renewal audit under the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), retaining its IRMA 75 performance level after an independent assessment of its responsible mining practices, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The renewal audit, conducted by SCS Global Services, assessed the Shurugwi-based platinum group metals operation against 428 requirements of the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining.
According to IRMA, Unki substantially or completely met all 40 critical requirements and achieved at least 75% of the applicable requirements across each of the Standard’s four principle areas.
The four areas are business integrity, planning for positive legacies, social responsibility and environmental responsibility.
The latest assessment marks the completion of the first full IRMA assessment cycle by a mining operation, taking Unki through an initial audit, surveillance assessment and subsequent renewal.
Unki first achieved an IRMA 75 rating in 2021 after becoming the first mine to publicly commit to an independent assessment against the IRMA Standard. Its performance was subsequently reviewed through a surveillance audit in 2024 before the latest renewal assessment.
IRMA said Unki’s performance improved in three of the four principle areas compared with its initial assessment, with improvements recorded in business integrity, planning for positive legacies and environmental responsibility.
Performance in social responsibility remained at the same level as the initial assessment.
The renewal process involved a review of the mine’s performance against the Standard, including an assessment of how it had addressed requirements identified during the previous assessment cycle. The process also included engagement with community stakeholders and other interested parties.
The IRMA Standard covers a broad range of issues, including legal compliance, human rights, labour practices, community engagement, environmental management and biodiversity.
The process has also provided surrounding communities with a structured mechanism to engage with Unki over mining-related issues.
According to documentation from the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Organisation (ZELO), formerly known as the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, community representatives have participated in engagement processes linked to the IRMA assessment.
The Shurugwi Development Trust has also reported the establishment of a quarterly community engagement forum involving representatives from surrounding villages, creating a platform for communities to raise concerns and discuss mining activities.
The IRMA reports have further provided communities and civil society organisations with publicly available information that can be used in engagement with government and other stakeholders on mining-related impacts.
Unki has also supported community development initiatives through partnerships with organisations including Technoserve, World Vision, Zvandiri and the Apostolic Women Empowerment Trust.
The latest renewal comes under Valterra Platinum, which assumed ownership of Anglo American’s platinum business in May 2025 following the demerger that created the independently listed PGM company.
Unki remains one of Valterra Platinum’s key Zimbabwean operations and is located in the mineral-rich Great Dyke in the Shurugwi area.
IRMA uses four achievement levels — IRMA Transparency, IRMA 50, IRMA 75 and IRMA 100 — with IRMA 75 indicating that a mine has met the required critical requirements and achieved at least 75% performance across each of the Standard’s four principle areas.
Unlike schemes that rely primarily on company self-reporting, IRMA’s model is based on independent third-party assessment and publicly available audit information, allowing communities, investors and other stakeholders to examine a mine’s performance.
For Unki, the renewal represents the continuation of an independently assessed responsible mining programme while demonstrating improvements in several areas since the mine’s first IRMA assessment.
The achievement also gives Unki a unique position in the global responsible-mining landscape as the first operation to complete the full IRMA audit cycle.
