MUTAPA Energy Resources (MER) has appointed three contractors to upgrade and tar a 52-kilometre road linking York and Sandawana in Mberengwa under a US$41 million contract, as the lithium miner steps up infrastructure development around its operations. Fossil, Masimba and Shumba Mhazi Group (SM Projects) have been awarded different sections of the road and have […] The post Mutapa awards US$41m York-Sandawana road contract appeared first on Zimbabwe Independent .
MUTAPA Energy Resources (MER) has appointed three contractors to upgrade and tar a 52-kilometre road linking York and Sandawana in Mberengwa under a US$41 million contract, as the lithium miner steps up infrastructure development around its operations.
Fossil, Masimba and Shumba Mhazi Group (SM Projects) have been awarded different sections of the road and have received mobilisation payments, MER chief executive officer Innocent Rukweza said during a stakeholders’ engagement in Sandawana on Wednesday.
“We have finally appointed three contractors for the road — the 52-kilometre stretch from York to Sandawana. We have identified and appointed the contractors, and all of them have received mobilisation fees,” Rukweza said.
Masimba will work on a 17-kilometre section and construct the Mutsime Bridge, which Rukweza said had historically been a major challenge, particularly during the rainy season.
“We signed a US$41 million contract to construct a 52-kilometre stretch from York to Sandawana. The road will be tarred,” he said.
The project is expected to improve access to Sandawana for communities across Mberengwa.
Mberengwa North MP Tafanana Zhou said the road would ease transport challenges faced by people travelling to Sandawana from other parts of the district.
The road upgrade comes as MER pushes ahead with plans for a US$300 million lithium concentrator plant at Sandawana, which is targeted for commissioning by November 2027.
The project has also triggered the relocation of 104 families living in the area earmarked for the plant.
Rukweza said the company was building seven demonstration houses in consultation with government officials and traditional leaders before rolling out construction of the remaining homes.
Each household will receive a four-roomed house, kitchen and ablution facilities at an estimated cost of US$28 000. The company is also working on fencing, water reticulation and boreholes.
“We are targeting September 20 through to the end of September to finalise all 104 houses. Thereafter, we will relocate all the affected families,” Rukweza said.
More than 52 graves within the proposed plant site are expected to be exhumed once outstanding burial orders are secured. The process is expected to begin around September 1.
Meanwhile, the company said it had generated more than US$80 million from ore deliveries to the Gwanda lithium plant in the seven months to date.
Rukweza said the company was targeting revenue of between US$100 million and US$140 million, depending on the stability of lithium prices.
The company is also planning to construct a water pipeline and install a 132kV power line, while 82 cattle have been bought for surrounding communities as part of a livestock empowerment project.
MER is part of the Mutapa Investment Fund, Zimbabwe’s sovereign wealth fund. It controls Sandawana Mines.
The post Mutapa awards US$41m York-Sandawana road contract appeared first on Zimbabwe Independent.
