President to commission Kamativi lithium mine

AS Zimbabwe showcases strength in lithium reserves, the largest in Africa, attention is drawn to Kamativi in Hwange District, Matabeleland North Province, where President Mnangagwa is tomorrow expected to commission a new lithium mining investment project undertaken by Kamativi Mining Company (KMC).

Zimbabwe is said to have the highest number of lithium projects under exploration on the African continent, with some mines already operational. If the full potential of the country’s lithium resources is unlocked, Zimbabwe could meet upwards of 20 percent of global demand, experts say.

Lithium projects in the country include Prospect Resources’ Arcadia project, Bikita Minerals in Masvingo, Gwanda Lithium Zimbabwe (GLZ) in Gwanda District, and Premier African Minerals-owned Zulu Lithium at Fort Rixon in Insiza District. The envisaged lithium beneficiation plant to be housed at the US$13 billion Mine-to-Energy Industrial Park at Mapinga in Mashonaland West Province has also raised interest in Zimbabwe’s lithium assets.

The Government has since shifted its focus towards the downstream sector in a bid to drive infrastructure development, employment creation, and investments across the domestic market.

KMC started operations in 2019 and is focused on lithium exploration, mining, and processing within Kamativi, a former tin mine, which closed in 1994 when international prices of tin plummeted to unsustainable levels. At the time, the tin mine employed 3 000 workers and still had a life span of 40 years.