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Kuvimba goes transparent, embraces accountability

Business
KMH group acting chief executive officer Trevor Barnard

RESOURCE giant Kuvimba Mining House (KMH) has taken a significant step towards enhancing accountability and transparency in its gold operations by implementing a mine-to-market traceability system, aligning with international regulatory standards.

The system, installed in 2021 by the United Kingdom-based Comstack, aims to enhance gold traceability from mine to market, according to KMH group acting chief executive officer Trevor Barnard.

“We were actually the first company to implement the system within Zimbabwe, so we were heading up that process for the Zimbabwean market, and we were one of the first five to actually implement it within the African continent,” Barnard told journalists on Monday.

“It is really a system that gives us transparency and accountability, and it enhances our gold traceability system from mine to the market. So why did we need to do this? There are a lot of reasons for that, but I think what is most important for us is that we need to have regulatory compliance.

“It is important that we comply with the regulations, but not only within Zimbabwe, but also internationally. We also wanted to make sure that we are transparent about it, so that anybody who buys any gold that comes with Kuvimba can actually then understand where this gold is sourced from, and that this gold is legitimately mined.”

The KMH CEO said the system also improves quality control by tracking materials from extraction to end use. It supports sustainable practices by monitoring the environmental impact of mining activities and ensuring responsible sourcing.

“So, this is not just the system that traces your gold from the time that you mine it to the time that you market it, but also there is a layer of compliance sitting above that, where independent people or independent bodies are monitoring us to ensure that we mine responsible and we are sustainable in all of our efforts,” he said.

“The other one is obviously ethical sourcing to make sure we don't use child labour, we don't try and get gold from unethical or illegal sources, but the gold is really mined in an ethical manner.”

Comstack Africa head of operations Garikai Mutandwa said the system enhances risk management by identifying potential risks in the supply chain and allowing for proactive measures.

The system is being implemented at KMH’s gold cluster, comprising Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, Jena Mines and Shamva Mine.

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