Online Reporter
Nelson Gahadza
Senior Business Reporter
State-owned Mutapa Gold Resources is moving to formalise artisanal mining operations at Phoenix Prince mining lease in Bindura following years of unauthorised activity, with contractual arrangements aimed at improving production, safety and gold accountability.
Small-scale and artisanal mining accounts for more than 60 percent of Zimbabwe’s gold production, which reached a record 46,7 tonnes last year, up from 36,48 tonnes the prior year.
Zimbabwe is targeting 50 tonnes of gold this year. Deliveries to the Fidelity Gold Refinery reached 26.05 tonnes between January and July 2026, putting the country at 52,1 percent of its annual goal.
The 160-hectare Phoenix Prince lease is owned by the gold-mining group’s subsidiary, Freda Rebeca, one of Zimbabwe’s largest gold miners.
Under the new model, miners, shaft operators and service providers will continue operating under Mutapa’s supervision, with the company overseeing production, safety, costs and the movement of gold. In return, Mutapa will receive 30 percent of gross revenue generated by the operations.
Mutapa Gold general manager for contract mining, Engineer Tirivashe Vere, said the company inherited more than four years of unauthorised mining at Phoenix Prince and had opted for reorganisation rather than eviction.
“Phoenix Prince is an extension of Mining Lease 21, which belongs to Freda Rebecca Mine and Mutapa Gold Resources.
“As we have taken over the footprint of the Phoenix Prince area, we intend to formalise what the artisanal miners or operators were working on there,” he said.
The 160-hectare area has more than 50 artisanal miners who have already been reinstated, while draft contracts have been issued to processors operating round mills, leach tanks and carbon-in-pulp plants.
“Mutapa expects to finalise all agreements by the end of this month.
Eng Vere said historical production is estimated at 1 000 tonnes of ore per day, noting that Mutapa expects contractors, initially, to process between 300 and 400 tonnes daily, or about 9 000 tonnes a month.
“At an indicative grade of 1 gram per tonne and recovery of 60 to 70 percent, the company sees scope to build a more structured and productive operation,” he said.
Eng Vere said grades vary across Phoenix Prince, with some deposits close to the surface and others extending deeper underground; hence has commenced exploration to establish the economic potential of the resource.
Mutapa plans to formalise the entire value chain, requiring all participants to have a legal identity and pass due diligence.
“There is no contract without a head,” Mr Vere said, emphasising the need for clearly identified parties responsible for operations.
He noted that access and site management will also be tightened, with shaft operators barred from holding claims for speculative purposes.
“Project managers will supervise daily activities, while non-performing contractors risk losing their contracts and if you are not performing, you are going to be chucked out,” Eng Vere said.
He also highlighted that Mutapa will introduce identity checks, access controls and restrictions on outside interactions to reduce conflicts and gold leakages.
The company will also deploy geologists, mining engineers, metallurgists and surveyors to assess underground conditions, monitor production volumes and coordinates and provide technical support.
“We’re also going to do the exercise of looking at the whole citing of works and that brings up maybe cancelling off some of the unsafe areas, bringing up new safer working zones, or rearranging what is there,” said Eng Vere.
In the longer term, Eng Vere said Mutapa sees potential for some artisanal miners to transition into deeper, mechanised operations where operations can reach depths of about 1 000 metres.
