Workers on the Harare-Beitbridge highway close to Ngundu, Zimbabwe, reportedly discovered "huge" lithium deposits.
Employees of Bitumen who were working on the 582-kilometer road improvement project between Ngundu and Runde made the discovery by accident.
“As the workers were widening the road, they came to a section which is close to a mountain and they had to trim the side of the mountain a bit,” an unnamed company source was quoted as saying.
“That’s when they stumbled on the lithium ore. There are massive mountains there and the deposits must be huge.”
The source said lithium ore deposits "could be significant" and this was confirmed by visits from the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe and the mines ministry.
There has been lithium mining in the country for over 60 years, but with the rise of rechargeable batteries in electronics like cell phones, laptops, digital cameras, military equipment, and electric vehicles, demand has skyrocketed.
Despite the fact that China is the dominant player, Zimbabwe has recently attracted investors from Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia due to its substantial lithium reserves.
Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
