Sabi Star Lithium Mine
Max Minds
The Sabi Star Lithium-Tantalum Project, owned by Max Mind Investments (Zimbabwe) Private Limited, a subsidiary of China's Chengxin Lithium Group, is situated in Buhera District, Manicaland Province, southeastern Zimbabwe. In November 2021, Chengxin Lithium Group, a Shenzhen-listed company, acquired a 51% stake in Max Mind Investments for approximately US$76.5 million.\nThe mine is estimated at approximately five million tonnes of lithium-tantalum ore with an average grade of 1.86% Li₂O and 294 g/t Ta₂O₅.
Zimbabwe
Manicaland
2021
Annual Production
| Year | Status | Bauxite | Copper | Cobalt | Lithium | Tantalum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | operational | - | - | - | 290,000 | - |
Mining Details
The Sabi Star Lithium-Tantalum Project is situated in Buhera District, Manicaland Province, southeastern Zimbabwe. The project is approximately 40 km east of Murambinda Growth Point and about 180 km southeast of Harare. It lies within the Odzi geological complex.
Ownership
Deposit Size
5 million tonnes of lithium-tantalum ore
1.86% Li₂O
Approximately 5 million tonnes of lithium-tantalum ore with an average grade of 1.86% Li₂O and 294 g/t Ta₂O₅.
Project Impacts
Environmental Impacts
Communities reported increased dust and noise
ongoingMeaning: Communities reported increased dust and noise from heavy trucking,
Communities reported increased dust and noise from heavy trucking, adversely affecting the health and education of children living near the mine, who were not relocated. There were also reports of odours and chemical pollution emanating from mine wastewater dams, raising public health and environmental concerns.
Groundwater contamination
ongoingMeaning: Groundwater contamination threatened community, livestock, wildlife.
In Buhera, mining operations by Max Minds resulted in contamination of groundwater. Water tests conducted by a local media outlet (Newshawks) revealed that the boreholes were contaminated with toxic chemicals, threatening the health of community members, livestock and wildlife.
Social Impacts
Community displacement
ongoingMeaning: Forty-one families were displaced, livelihoods lost.
Forty-one families were displaced, resulting in the loss of livelihoods. The displaced community members were, however, compensated in monetary value for the loss of land and the exhumation of relatives’ graves. Villagers accused the company of reneging on job promises, claiming that outsiders were hired instead of local community members and that corruption payments had been demanded. The new homes provided were smaller, poorly constructed and cracked within months, agricultural and grazing land was lost, along with water access. Children are said to have dropped out of school.
Labour Worker Rights
Poor working conditions
ongoingMeaning: Labour challenges include poor working conditions and worker victimization.
Labor challenges include poor working conditions and the victimization of workers who join trade unions.
Project Impacts
Environmental Impacts
| Name | Meaning | Year | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communities reported increased dust and noise | Communities reported increased dust and noise from heavy trucking, | 2024 | ongoing | Communities reported increased dust and noise from heavy trucking, adversely affecting the health and education of children living near the mine, who were not relocated. There were also reports of odours and chemical pollution emanating from mine wastewater dams, raising public health and environmental concerns. |
| Groundwater contamination | Groundwater contamination threatened community, livestock, wildlife. | 2024 | ongoing | In Buhera, mining operations by Max Minds resulted in contamination of groundwater. Water tests conducted by a local media outlet (Newshawks) revealed that the boreholes were contaminated with toxic chemicals, threatening the health of community members, livestock and wildlife. |
Social Impacts
| Name | Meaning | Year | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community displacement | Forty-one families were displaced, livelihoods lost. | 2023 | ongoing | Forty-one families were displaced, resulting in the loss of livelihoods. The displaced community members were, however, compensated in monetary value for the loss of land and the exhumation of relatives’ graves. Villagers accused the company of reneging on job promises, claiming that outsiders were hired instead of local community members and that corruption payments had been demanded. The new homes provided were smaller, poorly constructed and cracked within months, agricultural and grazing land was lost, along with water access. Children are said to have dropped out of school. |
Labour Worker Rights
| Name | Meaning | Year | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poor working conditions | Labour challenges include poor working conditions and worker victimization. | 2023 | ongoing | Labor challenges include poor working conditions and the victimization of workers who join trade unions. |
Related News5
Lithium mining in Zimbabwe: a story of loss for one community
New research traces how 41 families in Buhera were displaced from their homes to make way for Zimbabwe’s third largest lithium mine, owned by China’s Sabi Star mining company.
Lithium mine project injects life to Buhera
The establishment of Sabi Star Mine in the drought-prone area, located in ecological region 5, has changed the lives of villagers from Mukwasi, Tagarira and Ngwazani, among others, through various developmental initiatives.
Zimbabwe looks to China to secure place in EV battery supply chain
Chinese companies have invested billions in Zimbabwe’s lithium. Now Harare wants to ensure some processing happens before export.
Buhera families sing the blues after relocation from lithium field
Mysterious loss of livestock, joblessness and a daily struggle for livelihood routes due to lost farmland are some of the tribulations that families displaced by a lithium mining company have to contend with on a daily basis. Last July, this publication ran an investigation into the displacement of villagers from the environs of Sabi Star mine that, besides leaving them high and dry, did not follow proper procedure in the relocation of the community members.
Displaced villagers bitter with lithium miner
PARCHED rural Buhera in Manicaland province, southeastern Zimbabwe, witnessed rare pomp and glitz in December 2022 when President Emmerson Mnangagwa came down with a high-powered delegation. The entourage included the Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and the third most powerful figure in government, Oppah Muchinguri, who is Defence minister and the ruling Zanu PF national chairperson.