Story by Theophilus Chuma
MUTAPA Investment Fund has unveiled a major restructuring of its mining portfolio, announcing the creation of five specialised, commodity-focused companies in a move aimed at improving efficiency, accountability and long-term value creation.
The restructuring marks a decisive shift away from a fragmented holding structure towards a streamlined model aligned with global best practice in the mining sector.
Speaking during the announcement, Mutapa Investment Fund Chief Investment Officer Mr Simbarashe Chinyemba said the new structure would reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks and sharpen operational focus across the Fund’s mining assets.
“We are unveiling a comprehensive restructuring that transitions us from a broad holding model to specialised commodity-specific verticals,” Chief Investment Officer of Mutapa Investment Fund, Mr Simbarashe Chinyemba said.
Under the new framework, Mutapa has established five distinct entities: Mutapa Gold Resource, Mutapa Base Metals, Mutapa Energy Minerals, Mutapa Platinum Group Metals, and Mutapa Rare Earths. Each company will focus exclusively on its designated resource group.
Mr Chinyemba said the move was informed by the need to rationalise ownership structures that had evolved over time.
“Previously, our minerals were held through a spiderweb of entities under Mutapa, including Columba Mining House, Defold IDC and other minority holdings. We are now rationalising this structure to create a streamlined and efficient ownership model,” he said.
He added that the new architecture mirrors how leading global mining houses organise their operations to ensure clarity, accountability and alignment with shareholder value.
“By organising our assets into commodity-specific verticals, we remove unnecessary administrative layers and ensure technical expertise is laser-focused on the fundamentals of each mineral. This flatter structure allows for faster decision-making, particularly in response to market volatility,” Mr Chinyemba said.
The restructuring forms part of Mutapa’s 2026 FIRE strategy an acronym for Fix, Revive, Strengthen and Extract value which seeks to reposition the Fund’s mining entities for sustained growth.
The newly formed companies are already advancing project development plans, particularly within the gold portfolio.
Chief Executive Officer of Mutapa Gold Resource, Mr Trevor Barnard, said funding initiatives were already underway to support expansion projects.
“We are pursuing several funding initiatives, particularly on the gold side. In the short term, we are planning the establishment of a large-scale open-cast operation at Shamva Gold Mine, with a projected throughput of about 2.5 million tonnes per annum, yielding approximately 80 000 ounces of gold annually,” Mr Barnard said.
He said similar development plans were also being progressed at Jena Mine, with a broader objective of significantly increasing gold output.
“Our overall plan is to double gold production within the next three to four years, and thereafter explore opportunities to scale up even further,” he said.
Mutapa Investment Fund said comparable growth strategies are being developed for its platinum group metals, energy minerals and rare earths portfolios, positioning the Fund as a central player in Zimbabwe’s mineral value chain transformation.
