Mining & Trade News

By a Correspondent

Lindian Resources Ltd, an ASX-listed Australian company with world-class rare earths and bauxite assets, on Friday handed over the newly constructed Chanthunya Police Unit to the local authorities in Balaka.

Lindian plans to move into the next phase of mining of the Kangankunde rare earth in Balaka next year.

CEO Alwyn Vorster said the donation underscores Lindian's commitment to community engagement and social responsibility.

He said Chanthunya Police Unit is designed to provide a secure environment for both the local community and Lindian's operations, and aligns with Lindian's Community Engagement Plan, demonstrating the company's dedication to safety, community development, and corporate social responsibility.

"We are proud to contribute to the safety and well-being of the Chanthunya community," said Vorster, "This police unit represents our commitment to fostering mutual trust and cooperation, economic growth, and improved livelihoods."

Lindian Resources is committed to contributing to Malawi's economic growth through its mining operations, aligning with the government's MW2063 blueprint. This vision aims to transform Malawi into an inclusively wealthy and self-reliant nation by 2063.

When in operation, the Kangankunde Project will provide significant economic and social benefits to Malawi, in form of taxes and royalties, jobs and business opportunities and social and infrastructure investment. Additional flow of benefits will be generated from bringing mining investment and development to the region.

"Through our Kangankunde Rare Earths Project, we are poised to support Malawi's economic diversification and industrialization efforts," added Vorster. "We are dedicated to responsible mining practices, ensuring benefits for the local community while respecting traditional Malawian customs."

Lindian Resources Country Manager Engineer Trevor Hiwa said construction of the Police Unit was in response to the needs of people in the area as identified through Lindian’s Community Engagement Plan.

“The community wanted to respond to random incidences of insecurity in the area, which at times got grisly with various serious crimes being reported in the area. The community requested us for assistance after noting that their initial efforts, which included collaboration with local Catholic priests, were taking long to materialize and we responded positively by taking up the responsibility,” said Hiwa.

Receiving the donation, Commissioner of Police for the Eastern Region Barbra Mchenga Tsiga said; “We welcome Lindian’s commitment to partner with us in law enforcement efforts which ensure that law, calm and order prevail during the lifespan of their Kangankunde mine. The Police Unit will provide safety to communities in the area, which include churches, schools, a health centre and local Small and Medium Enterprises.”

By Wahard Betha

The fuel scarcity which has lasted for about two months due to foreign exchange shortages in the country has negatively impacted the coal business industry.

Local coal miner Rukuru Mining, which operates the Chombe Coal Mine in Rumphi district, told Mining and Trade Review that the development the fuel scarcity is impacting on the operations of both the company and transporters.

MD for the Company Bruno Kloser said as a Company they have tried to maintain the supply chain of coal using their fuel reserves but predicted more suffering if the crisis persists.

Kloser said: “Our own fuel stocks will only last for few weeks and some transporters are already not able to come to the mine due to lack of fuel.”

“So far we have been able to keep our customers stocked with coal but if the crisis continues for more than two weeks, then some will run out of stock.”

“2024 has given us additional challenges but we have still been able to meet our targets.”

Kloser said the foreign exchange shortage is another contributing factor to the challenges facing the industry saying they are failing to procurement equipment including wash plant, screens and, trolleys to scale up operations due to lack of foreign exchange.

He said: “We shall soon need foreign exchange to acquire more equipment, if that is not available, then we shall have to scale down operations.”

“However, we believe that the government gives priority to manufacturing and production and not consumption. Therefore, we are looking with confidence into the next year.”  

At a press briefing in Blantyre, CEO for Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (MERA), Henry Kachanje could not clearly give timeframe as to when the crisis will come to an end.

Nonetheless, Kachanje expressed optimism that the crisis might improve after settling debts with fuel suppliers.

The situation has triggered uncontrollable fuel prices to go up on black market with many selling petrol and diesel at a range of MK5000 to Mk8000 per litre.

Malawi imports fuel from overseas through the ports of Beira, Nacala and Dar es Salaam mainly through road tankers with a fraction of the diesel imports coming by train through Beira and Nacala.

However, Malawi has potential for exploitation of hydrocarbons in its part of the Great African Rift Valley Geological zone, which hosts Lake Malawi and the Shire River valley.

The Ministry of Mining is yet to award exploration licences to firms to prospect for hydrocarbons in the country after the previous investors relinquished the licences a few years ago saying they were unable to mobilise due to the prevalence of the Covid-19 pandemic that time, which prompted countries to enforce restrictions on travel.

By Marcel Chimwala

ASX-listed Lotus Resources has started implementing an Accelerated Restart Plan for its Kayelekera Uranium Mining Project in Karonga following the completion of Front-end Engineering and Design (FEED).

Lotus CEO Greg Bittar says in a Press Statement the Company is now moving into detailed engineering and onsite works for Kayelekera’s restart to ensure that it achieves its strategic objective of becoming the next significant global uranium producer in the third quarter of the 2025.

Bittar states that with the FEED program completed, Lotus is now well positioned to conduct a low capital intensity, accelerated restart of Kayelekera.

The Accelerated Restart Plan has seen time to first uranium production reduced to 8-10 months from the previously estimated 15 months by phasing in the completion of non-essential site infrastructure including grid power and acid plant rebuild beyond first production.

The Plan also reduces initial restart capital through a phased approach by focusing on capital items essential to the restart, with the remaining capex continuing off the critical path to optimise operations and cost structure.

Initial restart capital expenditure to first uranium production has been reduced to US$50M from the previous US$88M with initial restart capital intensity pegged US$21.0/lb2.

The Accelerated Restart Plan has delivered outstanding operational and financial outcomes (assuming a long-term uranium price of US$90/lb real) including:

• Life of Mine (LOM) production target of 19.3Mlb of U3O8, over a 10-year mine life.
• Competitive cost estimates maintained; steady state C1 cash cost of US$34.5/lb and all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of US$44.8/lb3,4.
• Pre-tax and post-tax NPV8% Real of US$439M and US$301M3.
• Pre-tax and Post-tax internal rate of return (IRR) of 80% and 66%3.
• Initial capital payback within 2 years of production restart3.
• LOM pre-tax and post-tax free cash flow generation of US$698M and US$486M3 . 

Bittar explains that Kayelekera’s production restart is de-risked by 11Mlb of historical uranium production, with US$200M capital invested into the plant and operations and 4Mlb of existing stockpiles supporting the ramp-up of the operation.

He said: “Following the signing of the Mine Development Agreement and the completion of the FEED program, Lotus is well positioned to take advantage of the continuing strength in the term uranium price and the strong uranium demand outlook.”

“Our thorough FEED process has provided the foundation for us to optimise and accelerate our restart plans for Kayelekera, taking advantage of the existing plant and infrastructure. By sequencing the capital spend and targeting the critical restart items we reduce the amount of initial restart capital, which allows us to turn the plant on much earlier than previously contemplated. This not only provides us with increased funding flexibility but critically allows us to be a producer next year and take advantage of the strong customer demand we are seeing by moving into production as soon as possible.”

“By decoupling the restart timetable from the long lead items which are not on the operational critical path, principally the connection to the power grid and acid plant rebuild, we are able to start the plant well ahead of the original Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) schedule of 15 months.”

“Those capital items remain in the plan and will be brought on as soon as possible in order to optimise the cost structure. However, we don’t need to wait for those, or have the timetable to restart dependent on those items. The plan was always to have full back up diesel power generation, as the site was originally operated by, and we can use this power while the grid connection is completed. Trucked-in sulphuric acid can be used until the acid plant is commissioned.

Meanwhile, Lotus Board has approved long lead item orders, mobilisation of mobile equipment and construction crews and early works.

Site mobilization and early works

Meanwhile, personnel have arrived onsite and have commenced a program of refurbishment works at the camp and plant areas, including:

• Removal of material that has accumulated along the western boundary of the processing plant and encroached on plant infrastructure during the care and maintenance period;

• Refurbishment of the potable water system and sewer system in the camp;

• Phase 1 refurbishment of rooms in the camp; and

• Inspection of key plant equipment and initiation of refurbishment of plant equipment starting at the crushing and grinding areas.

The plant and equipment in care and maintenance for the restart of operations represents over US$200 million in invested capital expenditure.

Mining contractor tender process

Following a mining contractor tender process including extensive due diligence and site visits, Lotus has received a number of competitive proposals and is in the final stages of selecting its preferred mining contractor.

Bittar explains that final negotiations are underway with the two preferred contractors and it is expected that the Kayelekera mining contract will be entered into in the coming months, with site personnel and equipment mobilisation early to mid 2025.

Electricity grid connection

Lotus has signed a grid connection Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (ESCOM). The MOU contains the agreed pricing structure and provides the framework for Lotus and ESCOM to enter into a Power Implementation Agreement (PIA) and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

By Wahard Betha

ASX-listed Sovereign Metals has announced the completion of an infill drilling program at its Kasiya Rutile-Graphite Project in Lilongwe to support ongoing technical studies.

In a press statement, the Company says aircore drilling which was supported by hand auger, push tube and diamond core drilling, has now been completed in the southern part of Kasiya focused on the designated pits proposed to provide ore feed in the first eight years of the Project’s production schedule.

Sovereign’s MD and CEO Frank Eagar comments: “Completing the infill drilling program on schedule will assist us in upgrading our Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE)and will feed into our future technical studies as part of ongoing pre-development activities at the Kasiya Project being overseen by the Sovereign-Rio Tinto Technical Committee.”

“The ore Reserves in these areas are expected to convert from the Probable to Proven category with an upgrade of the current MRE from Indicated to the Measured category under the JORC (2012) Code.”

Eagar also explained that the Company has assigned offsite laboratories in South Africa and Australia to assay all samples for rutile and graphite whereby results and subsequent resource upgrade are expected in early 2025.

Eagar says an offset 200x200 metre program was designed resulting in an average drill spacing of 142 metres.

He explains: “The offset spacing had the advantage of allowing analysis of geology and grade continuity in both orthogonal and diagonal directions.”

“The drilling program consisted of: 1. 281 aircore holes drilled over 5,607m, with an average depth of 20 metres, 2. 309 hand auger holes drilled over 1,280m with an average depth of 4 metres 3. 30 push tube and diamond core holes drilled over 663m, providing samples for verification twinning and geotechnical sampling with an average depth of 22 metres.”

“The current MRE identifies broad and continuous high-grade rutile and graphite zones, extending over a vast area of more than 201 km²,” he said.

Rutile mineralisation is concentrated in laterally extensive, near-surface, flat “blanket” deposits in areas where the weathering profile remains intact and largely uneroded.

Graphite is largely depleted near the surface, with grades generally improving at depths greater than 4 metres, down to the base of the saprolite zone, which averages around 22 metres.

Recently, Kasiya was proven to be the world’s largest rutile deposit and second-largest flake graphite deposit, with over 66% of the current MRE in the Indicated category.

By Marcel Chimwala

ASX-listed DY6 Metals has announced exciting results for its exploration work for rare earths and phosphate at Tundulu in Malawi’s southern district of Phalombe.

DY6 Chairman Daniel Smith says in a Press Statement that a total of 63 metallurgical samples were collected from 37 sample locations along high-grade historic trench (TUTR10) at Tundulu.

Smith explains that sampling results returned up to a high of 3.35% Total Rare Earth Ore (TREO) and 27.5% Phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) over the sampled 83m length of trench TUTR10.

He says: “An exciting component of the sampling results is the average HREO, being 13% of the TREO basket.”

“Undetectable to very low levels of deleterious elements including mercury, lead and cadmium in the phosphorus (P) rich rocks confirms the exceptional grade quality of the phosphate at Tundulu; and the sampling is representative of the mineralised Bastnaesite and Apatite carbonatite rock types exposed within the trench.”

Smith reports that selected samples are being collected to form a 150kg composite to be sent for metallurgical analysis while five bioavailability composite samples were also taken across various historical trenches at Tundulu, targeting phosphate-rich rocks, to determine the solubility of phosphate in the samples and understand its potential for direct fertilization.

He says the majority of samples showed excellent P solubility (using 2% citric acid) of over 40%, with one returning solubility of 81%. This is above the industry threshold of 9.4% P2O5 solubility using Citric Acid as the reagent in the acid leach process.

DY6 also collected nine samples representing predominant lithologies at Tundulu which will also be sent to RSC Australia.

Tundulu is formed of several hills in a ring around a central vent called Nathace Hill where the majority of the historic surface sampling and drilling was undertaken.

The predominant geology at Nathace Hill is REE apatite hosting carbonatites and feldspathic breccia and comprises a large inner agglomerate vent.

Mineral rich carbonatite also occurs at Tundulu Hill east of Nathace and Makhanga Hill west of Nathace and is previously unexplored and prospective for REEs and niobium mineralisation.

REE mineralisation remains open towards southern and western directions of Nathace Hill and potentially extends beyond the boundaries of the previously established mineralised area over Tundulu Hill. Initial indications of mineralisation appear to be high in valuable MREEs and low measurable radioactive uranium (U) and thorium (Th). This compares favourably to Lynas Rare Earths’ Mount Weld Central Lanthanide Deposit where Th and U concentrations in the ore are approximately 660 ppm and 25 ppm respectively.

The Tundulu metallurgical test work will aim to evaluate historical studies undertaken at Tundulu and assess the findings from a 2017 metallurgical report, completed by the previous operators of the licence. The test work will initially focus on validating the beneficiation results achieved by the previous laboratory.

“Conducting test work at this early stage enables the Company to ascertain the preliminary viability of producing two product streams: namely a REE commercially saleable concentrate and a mixed phosphate concentrate containing rare earths,” says Smith.

Ngala Hill Platinum Group Elements, Nickel and Copper Project

Meanwhile, samples taken from the Company’s recent reconnaissance soil and rock chip program at the Ngala Hill Platinum Group Elements, Copper and Nickel Project have been submitted to SGS South Africa for analysis, with results expected soon.

By Tawonga Nyirenda Mayuni

MD for Aanya Mining Company Frank Mwenifumbo has revealed that his Indian partner has pulled out of their coal mining venture in Rumphi out of frustration due to delays by the Ministry of Mining to grant a mining license.

Aanya incorporated the investor in a joint venture partnership three years ago but despite the company being granted the license in August this year, the investor had already lost interest.

“Despite the license being approved by the licensing committee some time back, it has only been released at a time the investor had lost interest and shifted his interests to Zambia,” Mwenifumbo said.

He explained that it took five years of waiting to get the license, which was frustrating the foreign investor.

He said: “After a gruesome process, we are happy that we finally have a mining license, hence we can now start our activities on the ground.”

“The Department of Mines (DOM) should change and operate with a kind of pragmatism especially to us Malawians. Further, the DOM should not rush to revoke a license because of lack of finances to kickstart operations. There is no bank in Malawi that finances mining ventures, hence we need strategic partners and the support of the government.”

Mwenifumbo, however, commended the current Minister of Mining Monica Chang’anamuno for her commitment to encourage indigenous Malawians to invest in big mining ventures.

He was, however, quick to point out that the Minister’s commitment to promote locals to invest in mining is contrary to the behavior of DOM employees who are always on the neck of local mining companies that are not mining despite being given licenses.

He said: “The DOM keeps on asking mining companies why they are not mining despite having a license. Mining is not a simple thing as you have to look for investments and capitalize the activity and this is not a small process.”

By Modester Mwalija

The Malawi government says it is seeking a strategic partner to invest USS76.2 million to develop the Chiweta Geothermal Power Generation Project in Rumphi, which will be developed in a public and private sector partnership arrangement.

This is highlighted in Malawi Investment Projects Compendium Volume published by the Malawi Investment and Trade Center.

The project will generate up to 10 MW of electricity, contributing significantly to the national grid and supporting the country’s industrialization goals.

The report says that the government’s preference is to develop the project through an Independent Power Producer (IPP) following a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model with a 30-year concession period.

“A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be established to oversee the project’s implementation, ensuring efficient management of the development phase and future operations,” reads the report.

It says pre-feasibility studies conducted reveal that the project is technically, economically, financially and environmentally viable.

“This project is aligned with the government’s energy sector and economic development goals as outlined in the National Energy Policy and the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy,” the report reads.

The project’s key benefits include provision of additional power to the national electricity grid, thereby improving access to electricity for both households and industries. Employment opportunities will also be created during and after the construction phase of the project.

In addition to boosting local electricity supply, there is potential for Malawi to export surplus power generated from the project to generate foreign exchange revenue as government plans to connect to the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

The project will involve drilling to install a fluids conveyance system, power plant construction and construction of transmission line.

“Geoscientific investigations, including geological, geochemical, and geoelectrical surveys, have confirmed the feasibility of the project. These studies have enabled experts to develop a conceptual model of the geothermal field and outline its main characteristics, suggesting the project's technical and financial viability,” reads the report.

The project site is underlain by biotitic gneisses of the Basement Complex, covered by clastic sediments of the Karoo System and by a thin level of Quaternary deposits.

In a related development, the Malawi Government is seeking a strategic investor to develop the Fufu Hydropower Project on South Rukuru River in Rumphi district.

The Malawi Investment and Trade Centre explains in the compendium that Fufu is designed as a storage power plant through the reservoir formed by a 114m high RCC dam.

It, therefore, offers the possibility to be operated in base mode, following the load and responding to the instant changes in power demand. The guaranteed generating capacity of the station is 146.3 MW and the total installed capacity is 261 MW. The objective of the project is to increase the supply and reliability of power in the country.

“The geographical location of the power plant is very ideal for system voltage stabilization as it is situated in the northern region of Malawi which has no generating station rendering it prone to power quality issues due to long transmission distances. A feasibility study on the Fufu Hydropower Project is available,” reads the Compendium.

A Bankable feasibility study conducted for the project reveals that the investment cost for the project is US$702.5 million and the specific investment cost is US$2,700 per kW. The project Internal Return of Return (IRR) is approximated to be 12.1% and the levelized electricity cost is 3.5 US cents/kWh. Additionally, the project’s Net present Value is US$123 million.

The report says the project which proposes a 350MW hydro-power plant is technically, economically and environmentally feasible.

The Compendium reads: “The project is financially feasible and sustainable. The financial internal rate of return (FIRR) for the project ranges from 12% to 17.5% and a Net Present Value of between US$110.5 million and US$ 356 million respectively depending on the scenarios.”

“Additionally, the Cost-Benefit results of the project are very promising ranging from 1.03 (where construction is delayed by one year and the construction cost increased by 10%) to 1.35 where the construction cost is decreased by 10%.”

 “These results show that the project is financially viable as the revenues from the project are sufficient to cover its capital costs and operating costs and to provide the investor with adequate profit.

By Wahard Betha

Forty members of youth organizations operating across the country had an opportunity to acquire knowledge in natural resource governance thanks to the training workshop that was organized by the Norwegian Church Aid and Dan Church Aid (NCA/DCA) Joint Country Programme (JCP) in partnership with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) operating in Malawi’s extractives sector.

The two-day boot camp which took place in Balaka district as one of the major mining hotspot districts was part of the Fighting Inequalities Strengthen Civil Society Program being backed by the NCA/DCA JCP.

Coordinator for Natural Resources Justice Network (NRJN) Kennedy Rashid told Mining & Trade Review that the training was organized upon realizing the gaps in youth involvement in mining.

Rashid said the training was to ensure youth from different mining hotspots districts were fed with information that will help them govern their respective organizations in their communities for better future of the sector.

He said: “This training was developed out of an assessment that was made in the mining sector where we identified a gap in youth participation in mining activities.”

“We felt like it is good to train some youth from those districts considered mining hotspots so that they are imparted with basic knowledge of mining to bridge that gap.”

“We trained them today to empower them so that they are able to engage authorities to ensure that decisions they make now do not negatively affect them in future. We want to mitigate negative impacts of mining activities taking place now in the future.”

The two-day boot camp introduced the youths to some of the policies, rules, and regulations currently being implemented in the mining sector.

NCA/DCA Country Coordinator for the joint Fighting Inequality Program Mwai Sandram expressed excitement saying with the training, they have accomplished the first objective of their program.

Sandram said they engaged the youth understanding that they are the majority of the population hence the future of the mining sector lies in their hands.

He said: “We are very impressed as joint country program because we have met the first part of the objective which is sharing knowledge with the youth.”

“Within the 2-days we have gone through the Mines and Minerals Act, Mines and Minerals Regulations, mining value chain and corruption in mining sector. These topics are very important in the participation of the youth in mining.”

“It is very significant to consider the youth because the youth constitutes the most in the population of the country, they are the most active people and the future belongs to them.”

“We need to involve them because what happens now will affect them in future.”  

Sandram said most of the participants were invited from active groups which is advantage for them to utilize the opportunity in resource mobilization.

He explained that what is needed is for the youth to come up with a plan on how they contribute positively to their communities and fellow youth.

Sandram said: Our program is still continuing and we will support them. What we can encourage them is to generate their own initiatives where we can be coming in here and there to help them in resource mobilization drive.”

“They need to have plans on how they are going to engage their communities and fellow youth.”

The boot camp also included a site visit to a mining site at Nfulanjovu area in the district where the participants appreciated the challenges in mining and what can happen if laws are not followed.

On the third day of the training, the delegates were given a chance to engage with the Ministry of Mining, mining companies and the Balaka District Council.  

Other CSOs who partnered the JCA in the program included: The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP); and the Malawi Economic Justice Network (MEJN).

There are many mining activities taking place in Balaka with artisanal and small scale miners involved in the extraction of gemstones, gold and limestone while mining companies are pursuing deposits of rare earths and other minerals.

By Modester Mwalija

The spread of Tuberculosis (TB) is on the rise among women miners in Southern Africa, creating a health crisis in the industry. With poor working conditions and limited access to healthcare, many women in the mining industry are at high risk of contracting the disease.

This issue was highlighted at the regional meeting of Southern African Development Community (SADC) Women in Mining Association, held from September 4th -7th 2024 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Delegates from various SADC countries gathered to review the progress made since the implementation of the Tuberculosis in the Mining Sector (TIMS) initiative in 2012.

Federation of Women and Youth in Mining (FWYM) Secretary Linda Vyachi Mphande who represented Malawi emphasized that tuberculosis remains a significant health threat to women miners, particularly those in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM).

 "Women miners face unique health challenges that are not always addressed in the broader mining health programs," she said.

One of the key concerns she raised was that many women work in poorly ventilated environments and are exposed to silica dust, a major cause of TB and silicosis. These working conditions, combined with a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), put women at a very high risk of contracting TB.

“Many women miners work in informal or unregulated sectors, meaning they lack access to health insurance or employment protections that could support them through illness,” said Mphande.

Mphande highlighted that women often have less access to healthcare services, particularly in remote mining areas. Even when services are available, social and economic barriers, including stigma, prevent many women from seeking timely treatment.

"There is a stigma around TB in mining communities, and women tend to face more discrimination when they seek treatment. This stigma, combined with gender bias in healthcare services, often leads to delayed diagnosis and poorer health outcomes for women compared to men," she explained.

Despite these challenges, Mphande said there are efforts within Malawi’s mining sector to address the issue of TB among women miners. Through TIMS, mobile health units have been deployed to rural mining areas to conduct screenings and offer treatment.

 "TIMS has been a game-changer for many miners, but there’s still a need for more gender-sensitive approaches to ensure women miners are not left out," Mphande said.

She also appreciated the role of local and international organizations such as the FWYM and World Health Organization (WHO), which has been actively promoting health and safety awareness in mining communities. These organizations work closely with the government and health agencies to run campaigns focused on the prevention of TB and silicosis.

“The National Economic Empowerment Fund (NEEF) supports ASMs financially, which improves the economic conditions of ASMs, particularly women. These miners are better positioned to access healthcare services and protective equipment that reduces the risk of TB,” Mphande said.

However, Mphande believes that more needs to be done. "We need to ensure that PPE is designed specifically for women and that health services in mining areas are more inclusive. The lack of gender-specific health programs is still a major gap."

She called for stronger regional cooperation within the SADC framework, stressing that TB in the mining sector is a cross-border issue. Many miners in Southern Africa, including those from Malawi, migrate to work in mines across the region, increasing the risk of spreading TB.

She said: "Regional cooperation is key because TB does not stop at borders. We need to work together to standardize health policies and improve cross-border healthcare services for miners."

As for the future, Mphande sees great potential in expanding initiatives like TIMS and involving more stakeholders to ensure sustainable health interventions.

"Linking SADC Women in Mining with more partners will ensure that our efforts last beyond these meetings," she said.

However, she emphasized that addressing the gender-specific challenges women miners face will require more than just policy changes as it will need a shift in how health and safety issues in the mining sector are approached.

 "We need to put women’s health at the center of these discussions if we want real progress," she said.

Mphande’s participation in the SADC meeting has shed light on the ongoing health crisis among women miners and the urgent need for more comprehensive, gender-sensitive interventions across the region. Her advocacy continues to push for better policies and more inclusive health solutions that prioritize the well-being of women in the mining industry.