Conrad Mupesa
Mashonaland West Bureau
ZIMBABWE is set to launch a 12-month geological exploration programme in Mashonaland West next year to assess three major copper deposits and revive large-scale production of the metal.
Scheduled for 2027, the initiative will cover the Mhangura-Silverside, Makonde and Sanyati areas. The programme aims to quantify deposits that were previously mined but remain inadequately explored, positioning the country to capitalise on rising global demand driven by electric vehicles, renewable energy and power transmission infrastructure.
Mining Promotion Corporation (MPC) chief executive Mr Tapiwa Nyamutukwa said the State-owned enterprise will evaluate the commercial viability of the reserved area designated as MSW-004.
“We have a reserved area which we call MSW-004. It is in Mashonaland West. It covers an area stretching from Mhangura to Sanyati. Our exploration will be divided into three strategic areas. Two areas are in Makonde and one is in the Mhangura-Silverside area. These areas were partially exploited in the past,” Mr Nyamutukwa said in an interview.
He noted that prior mining operations in these zones mainly focused on gold, leaving copper resources largely unquantified.
“Miners were concentrating on identifying thin gold seams, and the copper resources are not fully quantified.
“Therefore, the exercise that we intend to carry out will assess the economic potential of those deposits and, hopefully, lead to their development into productive mining operations,” he said.
While African copper production is currently dominated by Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo along the Central African Copperbelt, Zimbabwe is seeking to attract fresh mining investment by closing critical geological data gaps.
Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development Engineer Caleb Makwiranzou said Government is deploying modern technologies, including aeromagnetic surveys, to generate reliable geological data for investors.
“What the Government has done is acknowledge that there are knowledge gaps regarding some of our minerals. We know that we have more than 64 minerals, with as many as 40 being commercially viable, but we still have gaps in exploration,” Eng Makwiranzou said.
Mr Nyamutukwa added that MPC will also expand prospecting activities to include gold, tungsten and other critical minerals as part of efforts to build a comprehensive national mineral database.
The project carries particular significance for Mhangura, whose economy suffered major setbacks following the closure of its primary copper mining operations around 2000, which resulted in widespread job losses and economic decline.
The planned exploration programme is expected to provide the scientific data required to support investment decisions and potentially revive copper mining in one of Zimbabwe’s historic mining districts.
Source: Three copper deposits earmarked for exploration – herald
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