Story by Yolanda Moyo
THE Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM) has set its sights on expanding its existing lapidary workshop into a fully-fledged gemstone processing unit in line with the Second Republic’s value addition and beneficiation thrust.
The ZSM lapidary workshop, established through a collaborative effort between the school and the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), is equipping students with vital skills in cutting and polishing gemstones, leveraging Zimbabwe’s rich gemstone resources.
The workshop is earmarked for expansion into a full-fledged lapidary processing unit, that will enhance the country’s capacity for value addition in the mining sector, particularly focusing on gemstones.
“With a processing unit, we can not only equip students with the necessary skills but also provide a platform for them to gain practical experience and contribute to the value addition of our country’s gemstones. In the current setup, the students that we are training are taken through an incubation programme. This programme is meant to equip these students with the skills to be able to start their own cutting and polishing factories. This group has finished their final examination and we are now starting the incubation programme which is going to run for six months,” said the Principal of Zimbabwe School of Mines, Mr Edwin Gwaze.
Local miners are enthusiastic about the prospect of a reliable minerals processing unit.
Miner, Mr Ronald Phiri said, “Currently, we rely on external processors, often at a premium. Having a local unit will not only reduce costs but also create a more transparent and efficient market. By transforming rough gemstones into polished pieces, the lapidary school’s expansion creates a new revenue stream and empowers Zimbabwe to capture a larger share of the global gemstone market. This, in turn, injects capital into the local economy and fosters business growth.”
The expansion is expected to generate a positive impact on Bulawayo’s economy.
“The value addition and beneficiation of our gemstones is critical to national development. This expansion by the ZSM Lapidary Workshop into a processing unit is a significant step in achieving our vision of an empowered upper-middle-income economy. I appreciate what is being done here at ZSM.
“When I got here I quickly thought of late Vice-President Dr Joshua Nkomo when he used to say there is no bird that can look for food for another, you have to work for yourself. What I am seeing here today is exactly what the old man used to say wake up and work for yourselves. The current President is saying ‘Ilizwe lakhiwa ngabaninilo, Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo’. He is referring to exactly what is being done here,” said the Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Honourable Judith Ncube.
The School of Mines expansion project aligns with the government’s thrust towards mineral value addition and beneficiation, which is critical in driving the momentum towards the attainment of an upper middle-income society earlier than 2030.
