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The Government of Zimbabwe, through the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, has pledged continued fiscal and policy support to the Karo Platinum Project to ensure its success, hailing it as a signature investment, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
The pledge was made by the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Dr Polite Kambamura, during his tour of the rapidly developing first phase of the Karo Platinum Project.
The Karo Project was established in 2018 after the developer secured land and commenced work on the site.
Since its inception, the project has progressed through extensive exploration and early-stage development, including approximately 90,000 metres of drilling, which confirmed the viability of the platinum resource and supported the transition into construction.
Speaking at an event marking his first ministerial tour, Dr Kambamura, pledging continued support, said the Government views Karo Platinum as a flagship investment, which speaks volumes about the long-term potential of the project.
“This is one of the signature projects. The government has been in full support of this project. They have received fiscal incentives throughout the project, and we are further supporting them by giving them incentives so that this project becomes a resounding success,” Kambamura said.
In line with this support, the project is already benefiting from a range of fiscal incentives, including duty-free importation of capital equipment and approval to establish a bonded warehouse on site, sanctioned by the Ministry of Finance.
On the ground, construction milestones have already been achieved. Civil works at the project are now complete, with earthworks, engineering and construction executed to specification. While project designs were developed outside the country, all civil works were implemented locally by Zimbabwean contractors.
Kambamura said the successful delivery of the civil works by local firm Masimba Construction demonstrates Zimbabwe’s growing technical capacity in large-scale mining infrastructure.
“One thing to highlight is that all the civil works here were done by Zimbabweans,” he said. “Just imagine the design being done in South Africa and implemented in Zimbabwe by Zimbabweans, not by the company that designed it. The level of tolerance and accuracy was 100 per cent. We are excited about the level of expertise, the talent and the intellect in the country.”
Beyond completed civil works, development at Karo Platinum is continuing, with mining and construction activities set to run in parallel ahead of production.
As part of this phase, the project will undertake waste stripping to expose ore bodies and prepare for mining operations.
Looking ahead, the project is targeting the first half of 2027 for the commencement of full-scale production.
With an estimated life of mine exceeding 50 years, Karo Platinum is positioned as a long-term operation expected to contribute to Zimbabwe’s platinum sector for generations.
The mine will initially operate as an open-pit operation for the first 10 years, before transitioning to underground mining.
Once fully operational, the project is expected to employ about 1,000 people directly, while current development activities are supporting an estimated 8,400 indirect jobs.
In a rallying call to investors, Dr Kambamura said the scale, longevity and progress achieved at Karo Platinum demonstrate the type of long-term, large-scale investment the Government is keen to support, adding that the project should serve as a benchmark for other potential investors.
