Staff Reporter

In a model of private sector-led community development, Mutapa Gold Resources has partnered with Bindura Municipality to deliver a lasting solution to the town’s perennial water crisis.

The 22-kilometre water supply project, jointly funded by Mutapa Gold Resources, owners of Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, and the Bindura Municipality, was officially commissioned on Monday, September 21, 2026, marking a major win for both industrial sustainability and community social responsibility.

For years, erratic water supplies have disrupted households, crippled small businesses and threatened industrial operations in the mining town. The new project is designed to guarantee water security by providing an additional, reliable source for both the mine and residents.

Commissioning the project, Mashonaland Central Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Christopher Magomo, described it as a strategic capital investment that directly contributes to provincial development and national GDP.

“We have commissioned it today on the 21st of September 2026. This is a milestone to Mashonaland Central Province as it adds up to our capital investment,” Magomo said.

“We look at this infrastructure actually giving value to our GDP and also looking at how it’s going to help the citizens of Bindura Municipality,” he added.

Magomo said the true test of the project’s developmental impact would be felt at household level.

“We’ll be delighted if we see much more hours of water in our taps in Bindura. That would be a milestone,” he said.

He lauded the partnership as a blueprint for local development.

“We are very happy also to see a partnership between a private player, Mutapa Gold Resources, and a local authority which has come to fruition today. To us, as a province, we applaud this development,” Magomo said.

For Mutapa Gold Resources, the project is more than corporate social responsibility, it is about survival and shared growth.

Chief Executive Officer Patrick Maseva-Shayawabaya revealed that the initiative was born out of a near-catastrophe in April 2025, when water levels at Mwenje Dam dropped to 36 percent, threatening to shut down the Freda Rebecca processing plant.

“The reason why we ran around in April last year when Mwenje Dam was 36% was because we realised that if we ran out of water in Mwenje, we would actually close the plant. Without water, you can’t run a gold processing plant,” Maseva-Shayawabaya said.

“Today is a very happy day for us as Mutapa Gold Resources,” he said, noting that the investment secures both jobs and community livelihoods.

“It means that security of water is no longer an issue for both ourselves as an operation and Bindura Town,” he said.

“This is a 500 cubic metre tank. They call it a balancing tank. There’s a pump station 500 metres down there which pumps water into this balancing tank. From here, water is gravity-fed all the way to Freda Rebecca plant and all the way to Bindura Municipality plant,” Maseva-Shayawabaya explained.

The project stands as a practical example of how mining companies can go beyond extraction to invest in community resilience, aligning business continuity with the developmental needs of host communities.