The seam of hope: Mining a future for Zimbabwe

By Mthandazo Nyoni | 6h ago

THE ground shudders with a deep, rhythmic hum. To most, it is just noise. But for Thulani Dube, it is the sound of a heartbeat.

Here, 30 kilometres northeast of Gwanda at the Vumani Gold Mine, Dube oversees a team pulling ore from the earth. This gold is Zimbabwe’s economic lifeline. Every shift he works pays for his daughter’s university fees in Bulawayo. Every ounce refined helps to power the nation’s struggling engine.

“This is not just rock,” he says, his hand resting on a cool, quartz-heavy wall a hundred metres below the surface. “This is hope.”

That hope is measured in national records books. Mining contributes over 70% of Zimbabwe’s export earnings. It is the main source of the foreign currency needed for fuel, medicine, and wheat. From the platinum-rich Great Dyke to the emerald fields of Sandawana, this sector is the undeniable engine of recovery. It employs hundreds of thousands directly, and millions more indirectly. If Zimbabwe's economy is a machine, mining is the high-grade oil keeping it from seizing up.

This engine has many parts. Gold, the traditional mainstay, has seen a dramatic shift. While large mines such as Blanket and Freda Rebecca remain pillars, over 60% of gold now comes from artisanal miners. People such as Memory Gowo, who sifts through river sediment in Penhalonga.

“This is how I feed my family,” she says, her hands caked in mud. Her story shows the sector's potential, but also its deepest flaws.

Then there is platinum, a high-value anchor with investments from giants such as Zimplats and Mimosa.

But the new frontier is lithium. Dubbed “white gold,” its role in electric car batteries has sparked a rush. Projects like the Arcadia Lithium Mine position Zimbabwe as a key player in the global green energy transition.

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Yet, for all its glitter, the industry is fractured. The story of the artisanal miner is also one of peril. The pits are unstable; deaths from collapses are common. The mercury used to separate gold poisons the rivers communities rely on. Worse, the gold often travels through informal channels, smuggled out and depriving the state of millions. This is the artisanal conundrum, which is a massive contributor operating in the shadows, harming both people and the environment.

Above ground, the challenges are just as tough. Crippling power cuts force mines to use expensive, noisy diesel generators. The roads from mine to market are often broken, increasing costs

But the most significant barrier is not in the earth; it is in the boardrooms and government offices. Policy uncertainty remains a powerful deterrent.

This was a key theme at the Chamber of Mines Zimbabwe’s critical minerals symposium in Victoria Falls last year. Gong Xuedong of the Association of Chinese New Energy Miners highlighted the core issue: investor confidence is low.

“Zimbabwe’s regulatory environment for mining has been seen as challenging,” he said. “There are concerns around policy uncertainty and bureaucratic hurdles.”

He called for “clear and consistent policies on licensing, taxation, and export regulations,” noting that a lack of roads, power, and a skilled workforce also hinders progress.

Isaac Kwesu, chief executive of the Chamber of Mines, echoed these concerns.

He warned that a global drop in commodity prices is putting the sector under severe pressure. Zimbabwe’s miners are burdened by high production costs and what they call “unsustainable royalties and taxes”

“The chamber has been engaging the government to assist in reducing the cost of production,” Kwesu told the Zimbabwe Independent recently.

“We are hopeful these talks will help restore the viability of mining projects.”

The numbers are stark. Despite a 16% rise in production volumes, export earnings fell by 27% in the first quarter of 2025. This represents a US$204 million loss for an industry targeting US$6 billion in revenues this year.

So, where does the path forward lie? The riches are not just in the minerals, but in the solutions to these challenges. The way forward requires not just digging deeper, but thinking smarter.

First, people such as Gowo must be brought into the formal system. The government, with non-governmental organisations, could set up safe mining zones. They could provide access to financing, modern equipment like mercury-free processing units, and guaranteed fair prices through Fidelity Gold Refinery. Formalisation means safety, sustainability, and more revenue for the state.

Next, power problems can be turned into opportunities. Mines should invest in solar farms, like what Blanket Mine did. A mine with a large solar plant can power itself and sell the surplus to the national grid. This turns a cost into a potential revenue stream.

The “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” mantra must be cemented in law. This means a transparent, digital system where mining rights are clear and uncontestable. A stable tax system, with incentives for local processing, will attract the serious investment needed for the long term.

The ultimate goal must be to stop exporting raw rocks. Why ship lithium concentrate to China when you could build a battery plant in Zimbabwe? Why export raw chrome when you can expand ferrochrome smelters? This shift to ‘beneficiation’ is the key to industrialisation, creating skilled jobs and keeping billions within the country.

Back at Vumani mine, Dube emerges from the depths at the end of his shift, squinting in the sunlight. The gold he helps mine will be refined, cast into bars, and sold. But the true refinement Zimbabwe needs is of its systems and its vision.

The nation’s wealth lies not just in its soil, but in the potential of its people. For Dube, Gowo, and other million Zimbabweans, the minerals are a means to an end: a stable economy, a healthy environment, and a future of dignity.

The seam of hope is there. It is wide, and it is rich. It just needs to be mined responsibly.