Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, [email protected]
GWANDA Lithium Mine has pledged to address stakeholder concerns regarding pollution and road damage, reaffirming its commitment to resolving these issues and fostering harmonious community relations.
The lithium processing plant, a subsidiary of Chinese global investor Tsingshan Holdings Limited Group, was established last year in the Mandihongola area of Ward 11, Gwanda District.
Trucks ferry lithium from Sandawana in Mberengwa to the mine for daily processing. The processed lithium is then transported from the mine to the Beitbridge Border Post for export to South Africa.
On a busy day, approximately 60 trucks use the route, causing significant damage to the tarred road from Maphane to Ntepe, as well as the Ntepe to Mandihongola Road. The community and other stakeholders have repeatedly raised concerns over the deteriorating road conditions and pollution caused by the trucks.
Speaking during a recent meeting with heads of Government departments, Gwanda Lithium Mine public relations manager, Mr Nickson Kutsaranga, said the purpose of the engagement was to propose solutions to the challenges arising from the mine’s operations.
He noted that the mine has been working with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development and the District Development Fund (DDF) on road maintenance, although the efforts have yielded limited results.
“There has been an increase in vehicles using the road leading to our mine due to our operations. Although we have undertaken some road rehabilitation, the impact on the community remains significant. We began shipping lithium in October 2024, which further increased truck traffic. On a busy week, we can have around 60 trucks travelling daily between our mine and Maphane.
“From Maphane to Beitbridge, which is our export route, the impact has been minimal, likely due to the road’s condition. However, we were advised that the Maphane to Ntepe Road was not designed to handle such high volumes of heavy traffic, leading to infrastructure deterioration,” he said.
Mr Kutsaranga added that while some road maintenance has been carried out through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, the current focus is on rehabilitating the Ntepe–Mandihongola Road.
He emphasised that although the mine benefits from local resources, it must also ensure that the community is not adversely affected in the process.
Mr Kutsaranga said a report will be compiled and submitted to mine management, containing recommendations for interventions to mitigate the impact of mining activities on the community and environment.
“We acknowledge the impact of our operations on the community and have deemed it necessary to engage with road authorities and other stakeholders to explore ways of upgrading the Ntepe–Mandihongola Road to reduce the community’s burden. The poor state of the road also affects our operations. We aim to implement mitigatory measures to reduce this problem and, where possible, eliminate it entirely,” he said.
Heads of Government departments who spoke during the meeting urged the mine to surface the Ntepe–Mandihongola Road to provide a long-term solution to the challenges faced by the community.
Gwanda Rural District Council Engineer, Ms Babongile Moyo, said a bridge along the Ntepe–Mandihongola Road has been damaged due to the movement of heavy vehicles. She also raised concerns about unauthorised gravel extraction in the ward, which poses risks to both humans and livestock.
An official from the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (Rida) stressed the need to surface the Ntepe–Mandihongola Road, stating that the current earth road cannot withstand the volume and weight of the trucks.
“The traffic on the Ntepe–Mandihongola Road is extremely high and exceeds the road’s capacity. This earth road was not originally designed for such heavy traffic, and maintaining it with 60 trucks passing daily is unsustainable.
“The ideal solution is to upgrade the road by surfacing it. Maintaining a dust road will not suffice. This also applies to the bridges along the route, which require upgrading as they were not built to handle this level of traffic,” said the official. — @DubeMatutu
