Trymore Tagwirei
The establishment of the Sabi Star Mine in the drought-prone Buhera district, and the various Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives being implemented have helped to improve rural lives, villagers have said.
The lithium-producing mine, owned by Chinese company Max Mind Investments, was officially commissioned by President Emerson Mnangagwa in 2023.
To date, dozens of families from Tagarira, Ngwazani and Mukwasi were relocated to Murambinda Growth Point and to nearby villages after the mine compensated them for displacement.
The mining company owns 55 claims covering about 3 800 hectares of land in the district, with millions of dollars having already been invested at the existing mine.
Sabi Star Mine Public Relations Officer Emerson Mangezi said the company’s CSR projects were focused on aspects of community wellbeing that include sanitation, health, education, community empowerment, and environmental management.
“We support the less-privileged and the elderly through a food aid programme which provides groceries to these vulnerable groups twice a year. The mine consults with village health workers to draw up the lists of beneficiaries,” said Mangezi.
Last year, he said, the company established four community nutrition gardens fitted with solar systems to support irrigation activities.
“The nutrition gardens allow families in Tame, Bonde, Tumbare and Bhondi villages to grow fresh, nutritious food all year round. We hope we will be able to do more to scale this up.
“Meanwhile, we have painted 12 schools and drilled a total of 24 boreholes in Buhera North, 10 of them at schools. At Makubu Business Centre, we built a clinic at a cost of US$18 000 to aid villagers who previously walked long distances to access health care services at Chiwenga and Chiweshe clinics,” said Mungezi.
The most significant project is perhaps the building of the 15MW thermal power which the company hopes to complete in the second half of this year.
In terms of infrastructure improvement, the Sabi Star has helped maintain some local gravel roads as a way to improve access to markets, health facilities and schools. The company has rehabilitated and widened the 37km-long road which links the mine to Gaza Business Centre.
Ward 12 Councilor James Mhlanga expressed appreciation for the company’s efforts and called for increased cooperation for greater community development.
“I am thankful especially for the clinic and the boreholes. I am optimistic that we will increase our cooperation for more meaningful results. The community expects to see the road being tarred as was promised,” said Mhlanga.
Official company documents show that at the peak of construction of Sabi Star, over 1000 people were employed, with at least 75% of them being locals.
The company claims that some 187 trees were planted in the 2023 – 2024 tree planting season, while 150 fabricated metal liter bins were donated to schools, business centres and clinics.
