Online Reporter
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu
VICE President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has reiterated the need for Zimbabwe to accelerate domestic mineral value addition and beneficiation to reverse the tide of cheap raw material exports, which are often subject to global market volatility.
Speaking during a tour of the new lithium plant in Mandihongola area in Gwanda on Friday, VP Chiwenga said higher value addition will increase the country’s economic value.
He said extraction of resources in the country should improve livelihoods of communities through employment creation, and urged the mine to not only focus on exporting lithium but manufacturing various products locally, which can be exported out of the country.
He said the Government under the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa is focused on moving the country beyond the ‘extract and export’ model to ‘extract-process-beneficiate and manufacture’ model.
The US$54 million mining venture is a subsidiary of Chinese global investor Tsingshan Holdings Limited Group.
“Government has already issued a policy position and come January 2026 we want to see all the minerals that we are producing, including lithium being processed here,” said VP Chiwenga.
“We would want to see that vision, which Zimbabwe has to be economically developed using the resources that we have locally. We want to see various products being manufactured locally using the minerals we are producing.
“We need to beneficiate the mineral locally. The market for these products is there in our continent. We will export after beneficiating. We want to extract, process, beneficiate and manufacture instead of having all our products being exported out of the country,” he added.
“This will bring life and employment to people and remove livelihoods.”
VP Chiwenga said investment in the mining sector should bring mutual benefit to the community, investor and to the Government as he urged mining companies to venture into corporate social responsibility initiatives, which include development of infrastructure, skills development community empowerment of locals.
The Vice President also called upon the mining companies to address various grievances that have been made by local stakeholders.
“This relation, which is benefiting both countries and its people must be carried on for generations to come but it’s upon us today to build that strong relation.
“The resource is here and it has to be utilised on a win-win basis. The company is bringing in equipment while the community has the resources and this relationship must benefit all parties involved,” he said.
“We encourage corporate social responsibility initiatives such as construction of clinics, schools and roads because the roads were not initially designed for heavy truck that we see moving through this place.
“For this development to be realised there is need for stakeholders to work together, where there is disagreement there is need to sit down and agree on the way forward,” he said.
VP Chiwenga said Zimbabwe and China have good relations since liberation struggle days and this needs to be safeguarded. He said the two countries used to trade before the colonial era and during the liberation struggle China played a crucial role in training troops thereby helping the country attain its independence.
VP Chiwenga said these relations are now being enhanced in economic development and trade.
“The coming in of Gwanda Lithium is not by accident as it is another development initiative between friends. We want to see this mine develop for the benefit of the people from the two countries,” said VP Chiwenga.
“The Government commends the comprehensive strategic partnership with the Republic of China. This relationship must be carried through the next generations to come. It’s up to us to build this strategic partnership.”
Gwanda Lithium Mine project director, Mr Wilfred Motsi said the mine has about 450 direct workers with about 400 of these being locals.
He said the mine has a potential to produce over 20 000 metric tonnes per month but hinted that they were not producing at full capacity due to water challenges.
“We receive the lithium ore and it goes through various stages of processing such as the primary and secondary crusher, floatation and then we bring out the powder lithium concentrate, which we then export out of the country,” he said.
“In future we are looking forward to value add the concentrate into carbonite or Sulphur carbonite.”
