The Kuvimba Mining House-owned Sandawana Mine is being developed into a world-class, high-grade lithium deposit mine in the Mberengwa District, Midlands Province, Zimbabwe.
To understand how the community is benefitting from the mining operations in the area, Business Times spoke to Mberengwa North Member of Parliament Tafanana Zhou who said, among other things, a huge number of locals have been employed while roads rehabilitation is being prioritised by KMH.
Q: As a Member of Parliament, as a person who is on the ground, what is it that you are seeing there? Is there indeed activity and what is happening there?
A: I will start with the road infrastructure development that has made the area increasingly accessible and to navigate the difficult terrain which is in Mberengwa. Kuvimba Mining House through Sandawana Mines has rehabilitated and widened over 15 kilometers of roadways. That is from Sandawana Mine to near the Zverenge area going to Phoenix, they are focusing on that road. Then the road to go to West Nicolson.
Q: In terms of the direct sort of impact as we speak now, how have these operations impacted your community? As I understand it, Sandawana Mines was very active as an emerald mine in the past, but those operations had ended. So what sort of impact has a return or a resurgent in terms of that mine had on the community directly?
A: So far, we are quite happy with Kuvimba Mining House through Sandawana Mine. They are doing a great job for our community. I think they are less than a year old and they are already doing great stuff like in terms of employment, that is local employment in Mberengwa district. Mberengwa district is one of the underdeveloped in the country. With the set-up of Sandawana Mine and commencement of the mining development by Kuvimba Mining House via the mine, more than 1,000 local were recruited to work at the mine.
Almost 20% of these people are women so in that regard, they are doing great stuff. They are just less than one year and they’ve employed 1,000 people so we are quite happy.
And, as I have said before, they are focusing on the road network and that is indeed pleasing.
Q: And obviously 1,000 people being employed, that is quite a big and significant number. In terms of skills development, I would imagine that these are people who are perhaps coming in with no knowledge or skills in mining but may end up benefiting in terms of the exposure they are getting there, perhaps even training skills transfer?
A: Precisely. They are doing great stuff. These people are just from the community. They don’t have any expertise. They are just going there and they get the job, they start to work and they gain expertise from the mine.
Q: So you mention 1,000 people directly employed but the number of people that this is actually impacting and benefiting could be much bigger. How do you see this impacting or making a difference in terms of the area itself and other people who may not be directly employed but who maybe provide services, who run businesses in that area as well?
A: Local business community also they are getting an opportunity to operate resulting in increasing economic activity in the region. So, we are quite happy that besides employment, they are doing great stuff. They are even helping business communities. They are not bringing the meat from Harare.
They are taking the meat even from the community, meaning to say they are empowering the community. When they sell their cows, they can get some money from Kuvimba Mining House, when they grow their vegetables, they can sell them to Kuvimba Mining House. Even those in the community who are not working, they are getting something from Kuvimba Mining House.
Q: What else as a Member of Parliament would you like to see this mining company do from a community, corporate, social investment perspective? Which other projects do you think are priorities that you would like to see addressed and that perhaps you’ve had discussions around getting done?
A: So far, I think our first priority is the Sandawana Primary School which is supposed to be relocated from where it is right now because the students are affected. They have pledged to relocate the school.
I’m in touch with the general manager, (Godwin) Gambiza and they are just doing the exploration in the area so that when they relocate the school, we are not going to face the same challenge at the new site. So, I think it’s imminent.
They are quite positive in moving the school from where it is right now. And the other issue that they are focusing on, we had an engagement meeting with the CEO (Simbarashe Chinyemba), I think a month ago. He came all the way from Harare to Mberengwa to engage the community and he pledged to construct about 16 courts for the Chiefs. Right now, they are just doing their courts under the trees. So, it will go a long way in modernising the Chiefs’ courts.
They also did some medical outreach where they treated about 16 Chief including their wives.
They brought CIMAS to conduct checks for the chiefs and their spouses. Ordinarily, they were travelling to Zvishavane and to the surrounding cities for health services.
They brought life to the Chiefs and right now they are happy so if you make Chiefs happy, it’s so meaningful to say they are accepted in the area. So, I think they are doing a great job by engaging the community through the Chiefs. There was Sandawana mining emeralds and we didn’t see any meaningful development. Right now, the community can see the life of Sandawana.
Q: Beyond that, as MP, perhaps you have a plan in terms of a vision of where you would like to see this constituency, say in five, 10 years once these operations are up and running. What are some of those key strategic assets and projects that you think you may also want to see rolled out?
A: I want to see the road network in Mberengwa because if they do the roads, the lives of the people are going to be getting better because in terms of transport right now, the people are being charged US$10 to Zvishavane from Sandawana instead of about US$5 or less.
I think the main focus also is on health care. I think they are supposed to focus on the health sector. So far, they’ve already taken over the clinic which was at the mine from the council so they want upgrade that clinic to a hospital which is a positive move to us.
So, if we receive help at the mine, it’s going to go a long way because in that area, people travel, almost 80 kilometers to get to Mberengwa District Hospital. So, if there is another hospital sponsored by Kuvimba Mining House, it will go a long way in assisting the people.
Q: Let me ask you this. Often you know, there are questions about whether the private and public sector, as you are saying in this particular case, government and private sector can work together.
Given what you are seeing on the ground at Sandawana, do you think that such partnerships are actually workable and feasible?
A: They are working. I don’t see any problem in PPPs. I think that’s the best way to go.
We need to engage, you know, by which the border post was constructed through the same setup. So, we need this and after all, these are locals who like partnering with the government so that’s the best way to go.
