Online Reporter
Fungai Lupande-Mashonaland Central Bureau
A CONDUCIVE investment environment under the Second Republic has enabled Eureka Gold Mine to roll out multi-million-dollar community development projects, including a US$15 million solar power plant, schools, a clinic and modern housing, transforming lives in Guruve while boosting national gold production.
The projects, unveiled at a high-level tour by Special Advisor to the President on Monitoring Government Programmes and Projects Dr Joram Gumbo and Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Christopher Magomo last week, are being hailed as a model of responsible mining and public-private partnership.
Apart from investing US$15 million in a 16,2-megawatt solar plant that will eventually feed excess electricity into the national grid, the mine has relocated 53 affected families into modern houses, built a new primary school, completed a clinic awaiting commissioning, and is constructing a secondary school expected to open next year.
Speaking during the tour, Eureka Gold Mine general manager Mr Michael Zvaraya said the decision to invest in solar energy followed 21-day power outage in 2023.
“For that month, we could not make a profit. We realised we needed a long-term solution that would protect the business while supporting the Government’s renewable energy policy,” he said.
The project, which began in October 2025, is being implemented in three phases, with the first 5,4MW phase completed at a cost of about US$4 million.
Once fully complete in the first quarter of 2027, the plant will generate 16,2MW, while the mine consumes only about 7,5MW, allowing surplus electricity to be exported into the national grid.
Mr Zvaraya said the project would reduce electricity costs, create employment opportunities for locals and strengthen power supplies for surrounding communities.
Beyond energy, he said the mine had invested heavily in improving social services for communities relocated because of mining operations.
“We built modern homes for relocated families, constructed a new primary school, completed a clinic awaiting commissioning, and we are now building a secondary school which we expect to complete by the end of this year,” said Mr Zvaraya.
Minister Magomo commended the company for working closely with traditional leaders and communities, saying mining development succeeds where there is cooperation.
“Eureka remains one of the leading mining companies in Mashonaland Central. Besides consistently meeting its gold production targets, it is implementing projects that directly improve the lives of communities,” he said.
He said the province regarded Eureka among its top-performing gold producers alongside Freda Rebecca and Shamva mines.
Minister Gumbo described the solar investment as a landmark project that demonstrates how private sector investment can complement Government development priorities.
“This mining company has done what many companies can emulate. We have seen a school, a completed clinic, modern houses and now a major solar energy project. This is exactly the kind of community development the government encourages,” he said.
He said once net-metering approvals are finalised, surplus electricity from the solar plant will strengthen supplies to surrounding communities connected to the Horseshoe substation.
Minister Gumbo urged communities to safeguard the infrastructure from vandalism, saying development could only be sustained if communities protected public assets.
Guruve North legislator Cde Tendai Pinduka said the scale of investment reflected confidence created by the Second Republic’s economic reforms.
“The transformation we are witnessing is testimony to the conducive investment environment created under the National Development Strategy 2 as we advance towards Vision 2030.”
