Bubi Milling Centre yields just 18kg of gold in seven years

SIFISO MAPURANGA

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development has expressed deep disappointment over the government-funded Bubi Milling Center, which has produced a mere 18 kilograms of gold in seven years.

Committee Chairperson and Chivi South MP, Felix Maburutse, led an inquiry into the facility, uncovering what he described as an outright lie about its functionality.

“A milling site should be seen that there is activity taking place, but from what we’ve seen here, maybe it was a preparation for today’s event. Otherwise, nothing is happening here,” Maburutse remarked.

The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development’s Provincial Mining Director, Farayi Ngulube weighed in saying: “The milling centre is said to be functioning but, I am not fully aware whether it is fully functioning.”

The Bubi Milling Centre, commissioned in 2018, was intended to support small-scale miners in Matabeleland North. However, miners say they have received little benefit.

The Bubi Small-Scale Miners Association (BSSMA), which owns 40% of the project alongside the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation’s (ZMDC) 60% stake, claims the centre has been mismanaged and their promised share of proceeds has vanished.

Site Manager Gezana Sithole admitted that only three of the six round mills are functional due to funding shortages.

“We have produced 18kgs since its inception in October 2018 to date, sitting at around 10,000 tonnes of gold ore sands from which the 18kgs were leached, ” he revealed.

Despite this dismal output, the US$3.5 million loan advanced to the milling centre was fully repaid to Fidelity Gold Refinery. Fidelity’s Southern Region Manager, Sokesimbone Lunga, confirmed the repayment but was unaware of the specific terms.

Miners accuse ZMDC of siphoning resources and failing to provide promised equipment.

“The project died before it even started,” said BSSMA Secretary Benjamin Ndlovu. “We were supposed to receive trucks, compressors, and a weighbridge—none of which ever arrived.”

The Portfolio Committee raised concerns about potential corruption, urging investigations by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and the police.

“There could be a criminal offense here,” Maburutse stated.

With Zimbabwe being one of Africa’s top gold producers, questions remain as to why such a resource-rich country continues to struggle economically. The parliamentary probe extends beyond Bubi, with teams visiting other mining regions to uncover similar inefficiencies.

 

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