By Jeoffrey Ncube
Zimbabwean mining firm Mutapa Energy Resources has announced an independently certified lithium resource of nearly 40 million tonnes at its Sandawana Mine in Mberengwa, marking a major milestone for the country’s growing critical minerals sector.
The announcement follows an intense 11-month exploration program across a fraction of the site.
The Unveiling of the Joint Ore Reserves Committee results to stakeholders, Mutapa Energy Resources Chief Executive Officer Innocent Rukweza revealed that the confirmed findings cover only 30 percent of the company’s total mining area, opening the door for even larger discoveries in the near future.
According to Rukweza, the first phase of the exploration effort was rolled at a cost of 24 million US dollars and involved drilling over 103,000 metres and analyzing 33,000 geological samples.
Out of the 39.9 million tonnes of lithium ore identified in the initial survey area, known as Block A, an unprecedented 72 percent or 28.7 million tonnes was classified in the highest confidence measured category.
“It is my singular honour to announce that we are, from the best of our knowledge, the first Zimbabwean mine with measured resources which constitute 72 percent of our total resource.
“We are excited because it’s measured and it’s certain… it means that it becomes bankable. Investors can now have a look at that.”
Geological testing also confirmed the presence of six additional mineral elements alongside lithium.
Rukweza noted that while some exist in negligible quantities, at least two others tantalum and nickel can be extracted commercially alongside the main lithium deposits.
Beyond raw exploration, active mining and development are already underway on the ground.
Sandawana Mine has already extracted two million tonnes of lithium ore and has begun setting up a three-million-tonne annual concentrator plant to process the mineral on site.
To accommodate the massive project, the company is spending millions on local infrastructure, which includes constructing new access roads and executing a relocation program for 104 local families, as well as rebuilding a local primary school and health clinic.
Crucially, the executive stressed that the bulk of the company’s 3,800-hectare property remains completely untouched by drills.
The current 39.9 million tonne figure comes strictly from Block A, leaving Blocks B and C—which represent 70 percent of the total claim—unexplored.
“The results which we have relate to Block A, which is 30 percent,” Rukweza explained. “The 70 percent mathematically will automatically take it from there that the majority of our claims… have not yet been explored.”
To unlock the remaining claims, Mutapa Energy is rolling out initial geochemical and geophysical surveys on Blocks B and C costing up to one million US dollars.
Simultaneously, the company plans to spend 18 million US dollars across two upcoming exploration phases to upgrade the overall resource figures for Block A.
The discovery comes as the Zimbabwean government enforces strict national deadlines banning the export of unprocessed raw lithium, requiring miners to build local processing plants to boost economic value before shipping products abroad.
Sandawana Mine, historically famous since the late 1950s as a producer of high-grade emeralds, is rapidly transforming into a cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s green energy mineral strategy.
Mutapa Energy confirmed it is racing against time to complete its processing facilities and ensure full compliance with national mineral processing mandates.
