CALEDONIA Mining Corporation has stepped onto the fairways of the 2026 FBC Zimbabwe Open as an associate sponsor, seeking to use one of the country’s biggest sporting stages to project a more positive narrative about Zimbabwe to the world.
The mining group joins Zimre Holdings in strengthening the corporate spine of the US$200 000 tournament, as organisers position the championship among the Sunshine Tour’s standout events.
Launched at Royal Harare Golf Club on Tuesday, the tournament will run from May 7 to May 10, with pre-qualifying rounds and corporate activities starting on May 3. Title sponsor FBC Holdings Group confirmed the prize purse, maintaining the event’s status as Zimbabwe’s flagship golf showcase.
For Caledonia, the move is as much about image as it is about sport.
Representing the firm at the launch, executive director Victor Gapare said the global reach of the Zim Open offered a rare platform to tell a different story about Zimbabwe.
“We are very excited to be joining this Zim Open Golf sponsorship role,” Gapare said.
“For this kind of thing, what we are most excited about is the fact that this is an international event... you have international exposure, and Zimbabwe has a very good story to tell. There is a good story to tell about Zimbabwe, about the positive developments that are happening here.”
Gapare linked the sponsorship to the company’s broader confidence in the economy, pointing to ongoing investments and access to capital.
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“If you look at Caledonia Mining, we are in the process of building the Bilboes project to produce about 200 000 ounces of gold per year at peak capacity. In January, we did a bond... we got offers for US$600 million, which shows there is something good happening in Zimbabwe, unlike some of the negativity which is normally portrayed out there. We call Zimbabwe our home... and our licence to operate derives from doing things like this.”
Zimre Holdings, returning for a fourth straight year as associate sponsor, said consistency and professionalism from organisers had cemented its commitment.
Chief finance officer Zvenyika Zvenyika said the event’s credibility continues to grow.
“This tournament has grown into leaps and bounds. What we’ve seen is that there is a lot of transparency, a lot of honesty in terms of how they are running the championship. It is really the professionalism and the leadership that the Zim Open committee provides, with Chairman Livingstone Gwata at the helm, that really excited us,” he said.
He added that golf aligns with the group’s wellness-focused brands, including Fidelity Life Medical Aid Society (Flimas).
“Golf is a sport that brings people together. We have brands such as Flimas which talk about wellness... with golf, if you are in the office and you have stress, you want to detox and de-stress. We also encourage even our employees to take up the sport.”
Zim Open Committee chairperson Livingstone Gwata said the strength of the tournament’s corporate backing underpins its standing on the Sunshine Tour.
“The formidable list of partners we have is the reason why the Zimbabwe Open is seen as one of the best tournaments on the Sunshine Tour circuit,” Gwata said.
Beyond the headline sponsors, the event is supported by a broad network of partners, including Golden Pilsener, Tongaat Hulett, Firstlink Insurance Brokers, Cimas, Liquid Technologies, African Sun, Speedlink Cargo, Rooney’s, Guard Alert, Traverse, Alpha Media Holdings, Lighthouse, Natural Air, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, Nomads, ZBC and Royal Harare Golf Club.
With the sponsorship structure now locked in, attention turns to the course, where local contenders Kieran Vincent, Stuart Krog and Robson Chinhoi will be chasing a breakthrough against the long-standing dominance of South African golfers on home soil.
