eBusiness Weekly
The greater Kamativi area in which the town and mine are located is characterised by some hilly terrain, approximately 144 km2 in size, with numerous valleys and some swamps. Several small rivers run through the town and the Gwayi River, which is a major feature in the province, flows past the south of Kamativi, about 14km away.
The area has a very scenic landscape covered in some dense bush over a brief mountainous terrain, which is a stark contrast to the bordering areas of the larger district around it, i.e., Hwange, which tends to be mostly savannah woodland.
According to the oral history of the local BaTonga people, the town’s name is related to that geographical state. The valleys form pools during the rainy season and one Tonga term for pools is “matibi”.
They therefore called the area “ka-matibi” meaning a “small place of pools”. The number, volume and lifespan of these pools vary widely each year, depending on rains received, but a few are fairly permanent. Of note is the main Kamativi dam which is the main source of water.
The Hwange District Council currently runs the administration of the town, following temporary relinquishment of responsibilities by the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC); this includes the water supply system, which uses surface abstraction from a local dam. The greater Kamativi area is estimated to have a population of just under 7000 people (Zimstats, 2013) with 4000 living in the inner town. Since the mine was the main source of economic income for people, its closure led to deterioration of everything in Kamativi and water problems have dogged the town ever since.
The main metal mined at Kamativi was tin. There are other metals that were either produced as by-products from processes similar to those discussed earlier on in this chapter or extracted independently, depending on demand. The chemistry of the rocks in the Kamativi area is used in this research to decide on the likely contaminants that the mining process could have released into the environment and water.
Tin (Sn) Sn minerals, cassiterite (SnO2), are present as pegmatites within granite intrusions. Also exists as large alluvial deposits especially on the eastern side of Kamativi mine. Tantalum (Ta) and niobium (Nb) The minerals are present mainly as wodginite (Mn2+Sn4+Ta2O8) and columbite (FeNb2O6). Ta and Nb are produced in Kamativi as by-products of the tin processing. Lithium (Li) The most common minerals are zabuyelite (Li2CO3), amblygonite (LiAl(PO4)F) and montebrasite [LiAl(PO4)(OH)]
Mining was the main economic pillar of Kamativi. Historically, the town predominantly housed miners and their families but since its closure, formerly-employed inhabitants include civil servants and those working for NGOs, such as churches.
The greater number of residents, over 95 percent, comprise former miners, new settlers and general people who are either fishermen or subsistence farmers from nearby villages. Corn (maize) is the main crop that is cultivated despite the region not being a good agricultural area, due to erratic rains.
In June 2012, Burnstone Mine of South Africa reportedly won a bid to form a joint venture with ZMDC for the purpose of reopening the Kamativi mine; however, Great basin Gold Ltd. of Canada, whose subsidiary Southgold Exploration (Proprietary) Ltd of South Africa owned the Burnstone Mine in South Africa, denied that its Burnstone operation was involved in the Kamativi bid. at year-end, the Government announced that ZMDC was seeking other joint-venture partners to restart operations at Kamativi owing to burnstone mine’s failure to pay commitment fees. Formal mining operations had ceased at Kamativi in 1994 owing to low international tin prices and low ore grades
Tin production peaked in 1985 at 1.5 kt but output declined due to depleting reserves and ceased in 1994. Kamativi Tin Mines Limited (KTM) in the west of the country was responsible for almost all of the tin production. Small operations started on the pegmatite in 1936 and in 1970 the state Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) took a majority share (later transferred to ZMDC in 1986).
The mine also used to produce small amounts of tantalite, spodumene (Li) and beryllium. ZMDC is reassessing the viability of reactivating the mine.
