EnviroPress Reporter
Alarmed by the rampant smuggling of lithium through Zimbabwe’s porous borders, Mberengwa North legislator Tafanana Zhou has vowed to take the matter to Parliament in a bid to push government into strengthening border security and tightening laws around the trade of strategic minerals.
Speaking during a community meeting in Mberengwa over the weekend, Zhou said lithium—one of Zimbabwe’s most valuable natural resources—was being looted by syndicates operating with impunity, costing the country millions in potential revenue and robbing local communities of development opportunities.
“The illegal export of lithium is a direct attack on national sovereignty and economic growth. We cannot sit back and watch as trucks loaded with unprocessed lithium leave our country under the cover of darkness while schools and clinics in our communities go without,” said Zhou, a ZANU PF legislator.
Zhou said he was preparing to table a motion in Parliament that would compel the government to tighten border controls, deploy surveillance drones in hotspot areas, and strengthen coordination between the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA).
He also wants stricter penalties for those caught smuggling or illegally transporting lithium ore, including forfeiture of vehicles and equipment used in the crimes, as well as harsher custodial sentences.
“Zimbabwe cannot afford to be lenient on this matter. If we are serious about Vision 2030 and transforming our economy, then we must plug all leakages and ensure that our resources benefit the people,” Zhou said.
Lithium, a critical component in electric vehicle batteries and green energy technologies, has drawn global attention in recent years, placing Zimbabwe—home to some of the world’s largest deposits—at the centre of the resource scramble.
However, poor enforcement and a weak regulatory framework have left the sector vulnerable to exploitation.
Local communities in Mberengwa, where state-owned Kuvimba Mining House is developing a multi-million-dollar lithium concentrator, have raised concerns that smuggling is denying them the chance to benefit from local resource extraction, in violation of Section 13(4) of the Constitution, which requires that communities benefit from natural resources in their areas.
Zhou echoed these concerns, saying the fight against smuggling must not only be about national revenues but also about empowering locals.
“Every bag of lithium that leaves the country illegally is a stolen classroom, a stolen borehole, a stolen road. We are duty-bound to ensure that mining activities are regulated, transparent, and ultimately beneficial to the people who live where these minerals are found,” he said.
