Bravura’s lithium mine to come online in 2025
The Bravura Consortium, led by Nigerian businessman Mr Benedict Peters, expects its lithium project in Kamativi, Matabeleland North Province, to commence production next year after the manufacture of the plant and equipment was completed in South Africa.
The plant and equipment are now awaiting shipment to Zimbabwe.
The 7,5-megawatt electricity plant to provide auxiliary power to the mine is already in Zimbabwe.
Bravura’s lithium project, being implemented in partnership with the Government, will extract spodumene concentrate, a lithium source, from the old tailings dumps at Kamativi, previously a tin mine.
The tin mine closed in 1994, leaving huge dumps.
While the tin mined out, the dumps contain unexploited lithium ores, which Bravura intends to extract at a rate of 30 000 metric tonnes of spodumene concentrate each year.
“The Kamativi project is the low-hanging fruit of our three projects, and we expect it to be operational by this next year,” Ms Shuvai Mugadza, group head of public sector and corporate services, said during a media briefing on Tuesday.
She said the manufacturing of the group’s lithium processing plant had been completed, while civil works and other mine development works were progressing.
In addition to the Kamativi lithium project, the group has two other flagship projects in Zimbabwe, a platinum project in Selous and an iron ore project in Manhize, near Mvuma in the Midlands Province, which are at different stages of development.
In Selous, the company has since completed exploration and is now conducting feasibility studies ahead of processing plant construction.
Bravura was awarded a 3 000-hectare concession in Selous, about 75km south of Harare, in 2019, upon which the company applied for an extension of the concession, which has since been granted.
Group general manager Mr Gbenga Ojo said at the media briefing that while global commodity prices were on the lower side, this would not deter the company from progressing with its projects as it had in place strategies to mitigate price volatility.
“We have a strategy to mitigate costs at times when prices are low. Despite the low prices, we have not retrenched, and we are bullish on price recovery as we continue with our project development,” he said.
The Government has been pushing mining companies to expedite the implementation of approved and licensed projects, as the country targets a US$12 billion mining industry.
According to the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC), Zimbabwe has the world’s third-largest platinum group metals (PGM) resource along the mineral-rich Great Dyke, after South Africa and Russia.
Zimbabwe’s platinum production boomed in 2023, exceeding half a million ounces for the first time, but miners are grappling with slumping global prices and are resorting to cost-cutting measures to stay afloat.
Mr Ojo said in Manhize that drilling and exploration are underway at an advanced stage, and analysis of the core is ongoing.
Mr Andrew Onyearu, an executive director for Bravura, said the group is committed to fulfilling its projects in Zimbabwe as part of its commitment to investments in the country.-herald
