Online Reporter
Oliver Kazunga
Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWE’s efforts to build a globally competitive mining sector reached a major milestone on Tuesday after Freda Rebecca Gold Mine became the country’s first mining operation to attain Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service (SADCAS) laboratory accreditation.
The development is expected to enhance investor confidence and strengthen the credibility of the country’s mineral resource reporting.
The accreditation, awarded by SADCAS chief executive Dr Eve Gadzikwa at a ceremony in Bindura, positions Zimbabwe among countries whose mining laboratories operate under internationally recognised quality standards for mineral testing and analysis.
It also marks the beginning of an ambitious programme by Mutapa Gold Resources to achieve the internationally recognised ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory accreditation standard across laboratories at its Shamva and Jena gold mines within the next three years, as the company moves to standardise world-class laboratory practices across its operations.
Speaking after the ceremony, Mutapa Gold Resources chief executive Mr Patrick Maseva-Shayawabaya said the accreditation demonstrated the company’s commitment to operating at internationally recognised standards.
“As Mutapa Gold, we want to operate following world-class standards.
“These are the standards that we aspire to. What we have witnessed today at Freda Rebecca, we will do the same at Shamva and Jena.
“Within three years all our laboratories will have ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation,” he said.
Mr Maseva-Shayawabaya described the laboratory as the backbone of mining operations, saying virtually every critical decision in the mining value chain depends on accurate and credible laboratory results.
“The laboratory is the eyes of the mine. Whenever drilling or exploration is undertaken, samples are sent to the laboratory to determine the intersections encountered and establish ore grades. Almost every mining activity depends on laboratory results, so those numbers must be credible, accurate and produced through internationally accepted processes,” he said.
He said reliable laboratory data underpins mineral resource estimation, mine planning and investment decisions.
“If the laboratory results are questionable, every decision that follows becomes questionable.
“That is why accuracy, credibility and integrity of laboratory results are critical in mining,” he said.
The accreditation comes as Mutapa Gold Resources is ramping up exploration at Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, where it plans to complete 81 000 metres of drilling before the end of the year.
Mr Maseva-Shayawabaya said the programme would generate thousands of samples requiring laboratory analysis to determine ore grades, mineralisation and the future direction of mining operations, making internationally accredited testing facilities indispensable.
“Our laboratory will play an integral role in assessing what we come across during the drilling programme. Accurate laboratory information is critical in exploration, mining and processing,” he said.
Dr Gadzikwa said SADCAS is mandated to assess and monitor conformity assessment bodies to ensure they consistently operate in accordance with internationally recognised standards, giving stakeholders confidence in the quality, competence and reliability of their services.
She clarified that while the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) develops national standards and offers certification services, the responsibility for accreditation lies with SADCAS.
“SAZ is your national standards body; they offer certification and they do not accredit. When it comes to accreditation standards such as ISO/IEC 17025, SADCAS is responsible for granting accreditation,” Dr Gadzikwa said.
Freda Rebecca Gold Mine general manager Professor Alfred Chinyere said the company was reinforcing the milestone by investing US$1,2 million in a new state-of-the-art laboratory to support its expanding operations.
“The construction process has already started. We expect that in about four or five months we should be able to commission this laboratory.
“We are going to be spending about US$1,2 million on the construction of that lab,” he said.
Mining industry experts say ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation is regarded as the global benchmark for testing and calibration laboratories because it verifies technical competence, robust quality management systems and internationally accepted testing procedures.
For the mining industry, accredited laboratories produce results that are trusted by investors, financiers, regulators and international partners, reducing technical risk and improving confidence in mineral resource estimates, reserves and investment decisions.
