Chinese investor to establish lithium sulphate plant in Midlands Province

ZVISHAVANE-based Zheli Mining is set to establish a lithium sulphate plant in the Midlands Province by December 2026 as the company steps up efforts to beneficiate lithium locally, with equipment for the facility already in transit.

The development comes as the Chinese miner expands processing operations at its Zvishavane plant, where it has invested about US$15 million since establishing operations in 2024.

The company is not extracting lithium but currently processing ore from Mutapa Energy Resources-owned Sandawana Mine.

Speaking on the sidelines of a media tour organised by the Minerals and Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) in Zvishavane last week, Zheli Mining operations manager Ding Xin Jie said the sulphate plant would form part of the company’s next phase of value addition.

“We are planning to set up a lithium sulphate somewhere in Midlands Province for further beneficiation,” Ding said through an interpreter.

“As for the timelines of establishing a sulphate plant, we are expecting anytime in December this year and the equipment for the sulphate plant is already in transit.”

Ding said the project would be undertaken with several Chinese companies whose identities would be disclosed once the arrangements were finalised.

Zheli Mining was established in 2024 and started operations in August 2025. The company currently processes low-grade lithium ore supplied by Sandawana Mines, upgrading it into higher-grade concentrate for export.

General manager Kudakwashe Zimondi said they are currently processing low grade lithium.

“We only process low-grade lithium ores, and the idea is to magnify the grade into a higher grade,” Zimondi said.

The plant currently has two production lines with a combined feeding capacity of 900 tonnes per day, although management expects capacity to exceed 1,000 tonnes per day once the recently completed second line reaches full production.

Ding said the company’s recovery rate currently stood at 20%, while it had been allocated a five percent quota by the government for the production and export of lithium concentrate.

Zheli currently has between 25 and 30 tonnes of lithium ore stockpiled from Sandawana, with the company building up reserves ahead of the rainy season when access roads can become difficult.

Apart from lithium, the operation also recovers small quantities of iron fines from the ore.

However, electricity shortages remain a major constraint, with Zheli spending between US$150,000 and US$200,000 a month on electricity.

“Electricity affects us a lot,” Ding said, adding that the company was considering establishing a solar power plant to reduce its dependence on the national grid.

Zimbabwe has increasingly pushed miners to move beyond exporting raw minerals and invest in local processing and beneficiation, particularly for lithium, as the government seeks to retain more value from the country’s mineral wealth.

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