Online Reporter
Rutendo Nyeve
Victoria Falls Reporter
KAMATIVI Mining Company has invested over US$200 million towards a new Lithium Sulphate Project in Matabeleland North Province, a boost to the Government’s drive for local beneficiation and job creation.
This comes as the company demonstrates its commitment to the Second Republic’s call for value addition and beneficiation of the country’s mineral resources.
President Mnangagwa officially commissioned the Yahua Group Kamativi Mining Company’s 2,3 MT Spodumene Mining and Processing Project Phase One flotation plant at Kamativi in April 2024.
During the event, he said the facility represents a significant addition to the nation’s burgeoning portfolio in lithium mining and processing.
Zimbabwe is already regarded as one of the nations with substantial lithium reserves and mining operations within Africa.
On a global scale, it stands in the league of big lithium-producing nations, including Chile, Australia, China, Argentina and Brazil.
The ambitious value addition project includes the construction of a smelter and a sulphuric acid plant, which are set to produce 75 000 tonnes of lithium sulphate annually. The plant is expected to be commissioned by July 2027.
On Friday, the Special Advisor to the President on the implementation and monitoring of Government projects, Dr Joram Gumbo, toured the mine, witnessing works at the site for the new processing plant where clearing and civil works are underway.
In an interview, Kamativi Mining Company general manager, Mr Jack Ye, confirmed the development.
“We have already started our value addition project. We will construct our lithium sulphate project now; it’s under construction, and we hope we can get into operation by next year.
“It is set to process 350 000 tonnes of the concentrates; that is our full capacity of the lithium concentrates into lithium sulphates, and we invested almost US$200 million to construct this project,” he said.
“For the timelines, now we’re doing the civil construction, and the equipment is now on the site; it has already been delivered, and we will start our installation by the end of the fourth quarter of this year.
“We hope that it can be completed by the end of the first quarter of next year. And because of the delay in the shipments, maybe there might be some delays, but we will try our best,” said Mr Ye.
Dr Gumbo lauded the development and called on other lithium mines to follow suit.
“This company is responding to the Government’s call to value-add and beneficiate our minerals. As a lithium producer, they have invested more than US$200 million towards a new processing plant.
“If this company’s model could be adopted by other companies, then definitely the mining sector would be contributing a lot to the communities where they operate.
“One would even want to suggest and say that there should be provincial conferences where miners actually showcase what they are doing for their communities and even provide certificates to say that you are doing well for the community where you are operating,” he said.
“So, in general, we have been very impressed with what we have seen here at Kamativi Mining Company,” said Dr Gumbo.
Additionally, KMC is developing the Tin-Niobium-Tantalum Separation Project for full recovery of minerals and the Amblygonite Concentrate Separation Project to enhance the quality and economic benefits of spodumene concentrate, which is scheduled for commissioning by September this year.
The investment is a direct response to the Government’s recent ban on the export of raw lithium and other unprocessed minerals. Cabinet approved the indefinite ban in early 2026, citing malpractices and leakages in the sector.
Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Dr Polite Kambamura, has said the measure was taken in the national interest to promote local value addition and ensure the country benefits more from its mineral resources.
The ban took immediate effect, applying to all minerals in transit. Kamativi Mine, once one of Zimbabwe’s largest tin producers, ceased operations in 1994 after 58 years of production.
The closure was due to the devastating fall in tin prices in 1985.
The mine has since been revived as a lithium operation through a Joint Venture between Sichuan PD Technology Group, a subsidiary of Chinese listed entity Yahua Group, and local partner Kamativi Tin Mines (Private) Limited, owned by Defold Mine (Private) Limited.
KMC commenced operations in 2019, focusing on lithium exploration, mining, and processing, and holds 100 percent of the mineral rights in the Kamativi mining area.
KMC employs 419 people directly and 195 security personnel, with the workforce expected to double upon project completion.
The company’s Phase I Plant, with a capacity of 300 000 tonnes of raw ore and 50 000 tonnes of concentrate annually, broke ground in March 2023.
Phase II Plant, with a capacity of two million tons of raw ore and 300 000 tonnes of concentrate, was launched in January 2024.
