Online Reporter
Lovemore Kadzura, kadzura@[email protected]
FROM Wednesday, the Government enforced the suspension on the export of raw lithium and other precious minerals, halting a large convoy of haulage trucks laden with the minerals at Forbes Border Post in Mutare, the gateway to the Indian Ocean.
The decision, announced by Mines and Mining Development Minister, Dr Polite Kambamura, seeks to boost local beneficiation and maximise revenue from the country’s lithium reserves — a key component in electronic batteries.
A check at Forbes Border Post by last night showed that most trucks had been turned back as the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) and other regulators enforced the ban, causing congestion along the Mutare-Forbes Border Post Road earlier in the day.
Our Mutare Bureau can reveal that hundreds of trucks carrying various minerals, especially lithium and chrome, have been turned away as border authorities implement the Government directive to halt raw mineral exports.
Trucks formed a long queue hoping to pass through, with drivers insisting they had all the necessary export documentation, but were nonetheless instructed to return.
By last evening, a number of trucks — mostly carrying lithium and chrome — were parked at Energy Park Service Station, a few metres from the border. Drivers told the news crew they were awaiting instructions from their superiors after being stopped. Armed police maintained strict surveillance over the parked vehicles.
A driver, Fredrick Takaendesa, who was transporting chrome from Mutorashanga, said he was blocked from exiting despite having all required documentation, and was waiting for further direction from his employer.
“I am carrying chrome from Mutorashanga and I arrived in Mutare two days ago. I joined the queue on Wednesday. While in the queue, trucks carrying lithium were the first to be turned away, followed by those of us carrying chrome.
I had all the export papers for me to proceed, but they said there are instructions to block us. I am waiting for word from my company on what steps to take, but companies have told their drivers to return to the mines where they loaded the minerals,” said Takaendesa.
A security guard at Energy Park Service Station, Promise Mandiranga, said he had witnessed numerous trucks being forced to make a U-turn since Wednesday.
“Trucks carrying lithium and chrome are being denied passage at the border and are being ordered to return. Most have returned and a few are parked at this garage. The drivers claim they are waiting for papers,” he said.
Shipping and Forwarding Agents Association of Zimbabwe chief executive officer, Washington Dube, said they had observed that Government was taking deliberate measures to safeguard national interests.
“You are also aware that when the Minister of Mines announced the ban, there were some trucks at the border or en route to the border. We have actually observed that the Minister of Mines explained that the various ministries and departments, including the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, are actually at hand to deal with this traffic which is in transit.
“So, we will wait for guidance from the stakeholders on the state of these trucks, but the Government, through the Ministry of Finance, is open to engagement in future to map the way forward. We believe the Government is a listening Government and it has the people’s interest at heart, and we will be engaging with the ministry on these measures.
“As an association, we have observed that under the Second Republic, the Government is taking deliberate efforts to protect national interests, and this ban on the export of raw lithium is one such move, as the Ministry of Mines alluded to in the press statement, that protects national interests.
“We are actually singing from the same hymn book as the Government. You may be aware that, as stated in the press statement, the Government said they will consult with stakeholders as they move forward on how to manage, with private sector input, how to manage these national resources. We look forward to engaging the Government and also to putting in our input pertaining to the issue of exports of our minerals to other stakeholders,” he said.
Zimbabwe holds some of the world’s largest reserves of hard rock lithium, a mineral vital to the production of clean energy technologies.
The ban aligns with President Mnangagwa’s stance that national minerals must benefit all citizens, shifting the country from raw extraction to beneficiation to spur industrialisation and economic transformation.
Mining has become a cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s economy under the Second Republic, with the sector recording unprecedented growth since 2017. Mineral export earnings have risen from approximately US$2,7 billion to more than US$5,6 billion, with some estimates indicating revenues reached US$9,77 billion by 2023.
The sector contributes between 12 and 13,3 percent to the Gross Domestic Product and accounts for over 80 percent of the country’s export receipts, underscoring its central role in driving the nation towards upper-middle-income status by 2030.
Kambamura, said the ban had been extended to all raw minerals and lithium concentrates, and applies to consignments currently in transit. This underscores that the Government will no longer tolerate the export of unprocessed minerals.
President Mnangagwa has repeatedly stressed that mining investments must translate into broad based prosperity, with benefits cascading to communities.
The ban is expected to speed up the establishment of beneficiation plants, create jobs and position Zimbabwe as a significant player in the global green energy transition.
