中文译文生成中，先为你显示原文。
https://www.vega.com/en-za/ 查看配图：Description of the ad image
CONNEHOUSE Mining Private Limited has broken ground on a new 3,000-tonne-per-day processing plant at Connemara Mine in the Midlands Province, as the company moves to increase gold production by exploiting previously marginal deposits and expanding its processing capacity, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The expansion comes as rising international gold prices improve the economics of lower-grade deposits, creating opportunities for the company to process underground ore, historical stamp material and other mineral resources that were previously less attractive to mine.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr Polite Kambamura, who officiated at the groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, said the investment demonstrated the importance of resuscitating and expanding existing mining operations as Zimbabwe pursues higher mineral production.
“Today we are here to break ground for the construction of over 3,000 tonnes per day of processing plants,” Kambamura said, adding that rising international metal prices had improved the commercial viability of lower-grade deposits.
“Our low-grade deposits have gone better with age because of the flaming up of international metal prices.”
Trending
The new plant is expected to unlock greater value from Connemara’s mineral resources through increased processing of underground ore, historical stamp material and other economically viable deposits.
ConneHouse board chairman Josphat Sachikonye said the company’s production increased by 67% in 2025, with 2026 projections pointing to output of more than double last year’s production.
He said the anticipated growth would be driven by increased ore throughput and a 100% expansion in the capacity of the company’s carbon-in-solution plant.
ConneHouse secured its mining rights in 2020 and subsequently embarked on rehabilitating the mine’s infrastructure, alongside exploration, trial mining and metallurgical testing.
Sachikonye said the company’s geological inventory included 1.2 million tonnes of surface ore grading 0.85 grammes per tonne, with underground resources exceeding 3.49 million tonnes to a depth of 200 metres at approximately one gramme per tonne.
Kambamura said he had been advised that Connemara had approximately 7.8 million tonnes of resources, with further exploration expected to unlock additional mineralisation.
The company has also identified three priority exploration targets, including two parallel mineralised zones in the northern section of its mining area and another target near its existing processing infrastructure.
Sachikonye said ConneHouse had invested more than US$500,000 in leaching and carbon-processing infrastructure in 2026, with the design, fabrication and installation of a sponsored production plant scheduled to commence in the second half of 2027.
Government sharpens focus on community benefits
Beyond the investment at Connemara, Kambamura used the occasion to signal increased scrutiny of mining companies’ social and environmental performance, warning that these considerations would influence decisions on the renewal and extension of mining rights.
The Minister said his ministry would assess corporate social and economic investment in communities, alongside environmental sustainability, before considering applications for mining rights renewals and extensions.
“My ministry will be looking at the corporate social and economic investment index before we renew any mining rights. We will be looking at how much the mining companies have invested in the communities before we think of either extending or renewing the mining charter,” he said.
Kambamura said mining communities should derive lasting economic benefits from mineral extraction rather than depend on occasional donations from companies.
“We don’t want to be pitied. We want our people to benefit socially, to benefit economically, to an extent that even after mine closure our people will continue to benefit,” he said.
He added that environmental sustainability would also be examined before mining rights were renewed or extended, emphasising that responsible management of mineral resources should benefit present and future generations.
ZPCS partnership supports inmate rehabilitation
ConneHouse was established in 2019 as a joint venture involving Tulukani Investment Private Limited, the investment arm of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS), and Kuala Lumpur Investment.
Sachikonye said the company employed an average of 10 to 15 inmates monthly through its rehabilitation programme, while also extending employment opportunities to former inmates to support their reintegration into society.
The mine also supplies water to surrounding communities, Gwanemaru Prison and nearby farms, while providing a market for agricultural produce from local farmers.
He said the company had recorded no fatalities or major environmental incidents since its establishment.
Kambamura commended the partnership, describing it as an example of how local institutions could participate in commercial ventures while contributing to skills development, rehabilitation and economic empowerment.
Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube welcomed the investment, saying it demonstrated investor confidence in the province and the potential for mining to stimulate employment, infrastructure development and wider economic activity.
He urged mining companies operating in the Midlands to uphold environmental, social and governance standards while ensuring that their investments contribute to the development of surrounding communities.
Zimbabwe is targeting 50 tonnes of gold deliveries in 2026, with Kambamura saying deliveries had reached approximately 41 tonnes by the time of the ceremony. He said the small-scale and medium-scale mining sectors continued to make a significant contribution to national gold production.