Lithium
Lithium ground for sale in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe holds Africa’s largest lithium reserves, and a policy deadline on 1 January 2027 is about to separate the ground that has a route to market from the ground that does not.
- Lithium exports, H1 2026
- US$746m
- Spodumene concentrate
- US$672.8m
- Lithium sulphate
- US$73.2msince April
- Concentrate export ban
- 1 Jan 2027
Spodumene concentrate alone is 26.6% of everything MMCZ marketed in H1 2026. From 1 January 2027 concentrate may not be exported.
Lithium earned US$746 million in the first half of 2026 — US$672.8 million in spodumene concentrate and US$73.2 million in lithium sulphate, a product Zimbabwe did not make before April.
- Spodumene concentrate
- Lithium sulphate
Data as of June 2026 (H1 2026). Source: MMCZ data via NewZimbabwe
Show the numbers
| Product | US$ m | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Spodumene concentrate | 672.8 | 90.2% |
| Lithium sulphate | 73.2 | 9.8% |
| Total | 746.0 | 100% |
Second only to PGM matte
Spodumene concentrate alone is 26.6% of everything the Minerals Marketing Corporation markets — behind PGM matte at 33.9% and ahead of PGM concentrate at 13.7%. Lithium sulphate adds another 2.9% after just three months of production.
Data as of June 2026 (H1 2026). Source: MMCZ data via NewZimbabwe, 21 Jul 2026
Show the numbers
| Product | Share | US$ m (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| PGM matte | 33.9% | 859 |
| Spodumene concentrate | 26.6% | 673 |
| PGM concentrate | 13.7% | 348 |
| Lithium sulphate | 2.9% | 73 |
| All other minerals | 22.9% | 579 |
MMCZ markets every mineral except gold and silver. Its H1 2026 total was US$2.532bn.
- Lithium
- PGMs
- Everything else
Data as of September 2026. Source: MMCZ figures via Mining Zimbabwe, 8 Oct 2026
Show the numbers
| Product | US$ bn | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Lithium (spodumene, petalite, sulphate) | 2.16 | 45.6% |
| Platinum group metals | 1.73 | 36.5% |
| Everything else (remainder) | 0.85 | 17.9% |
| Total | 4.74 | 100% |
| Same period 2025 | 2.35 |
Everything else is the remainder of the published total. Spodumene's average realised value was about US$1,483/t, from US$387/t a year earlier.
The 2027 deadline changes what your ground is worth
From 1 January 2027, exporting lithium concentrate is banned. Producers must process to lithium sulphate or higher before shipping. Industry asked for an extension to mid-2027; government refused, with the Mines Minister noting that producers were given eighteen months’ notice in June 2025.
For anyone holding pegmatite ground, that reprices the market along a single axis: do you have a route to a plant? Ground within economic trucking distance of an operating concentrator or sulphate facility — Bikita, the Arcadia corridor in Goromonzi, Kamativi, the Zulu trend around Insiza — has a buyer. An isolated occurrence of the same grade, three hundred kilometres from anything, has a geology report.
Grade is no longer the headline. Before the deadline, a seller could reasonably price on Li₂O percentage alone. After it, the first question any serious buyer asks is who will process the material and how far it has to travel to get there. Sellers who can answer that will hold value through 2027. Sellers who cannot should expect the discount.
- Happened
- Deadline
- Asked for, not granted
- Today
Source: Reuters via MINING.COM, 30 Jul 2026; Ministry of Mines statements as reported
Show the numbers
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Jun 2025 | Producers given eighteen months’ notice |
| Apr 2026 | First lithium sulphate plant commissioned |
| 1 Jan 2027 | Concentrate exports banned |
| Mid-2027 | Extension industry asked for — refused |
What the export figures actually tell you
In 2025 Zimbabwe exported 1.128 million tonnes of concentrate — 11% more than the year before — for roughly US$513.8 million, essentially flat on the previous year because global prices weakened. That flat line is the government’s whole argument for the ban, and it is why waiver requests have gone nowhere.
Source: Reuters via MINING.COM
Show the numbers
| Measure | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Concentrate exported | ≈1.016 Mt (implied) | 1.128 Mt (+11%) |
| Export value | ≈US$514m (flat) | US$513.8m |
2024 tonnage is implied from the reported 11% rise. Value is reported only as essentially flat, so it is shown at the same index.
What to check on lithium ground specifically
- Distance to a processing route, named and costed. This is now the first question, not the last.
- Pegmatite continuity. Pegmatites are notoriously variable. Surface grade at one point says little about tonnage.
- Mineralogy, not just assay. Spodumene, petalite and lepidolite behave differently in processing, and a plant built for one may not take another.
- Haulage. Concentrate economics live or die on road access and truck availability.
- Whether the ground is claims or an EPO. Much lithium ground is offered as joint-venture exploration rather than an outright sale, which is a different transaction with different risks.
The tenure checks are the same as for any claim — see the guide to buying a mining claim.
Ground on offer
47 lots · Register updated 19 October 2026Zimbabwe Mines connects buyers and sellers directly and takes no part in deals. Many lots are listed by agents. Verify any lot in person at the provincial office before money moves.
Every lot carries a label showing how far its paperwork has been checked — from “check/verify in person at the provincial office”, through documents seen, to certificate seen. The documents themselves are held by the seller and are never published here: ask the seller for them and verify them in person at the provincial mining office. No label is a warranty: confirm title with the Provincial Mining Director before any money moves.
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Pegmatite ground is being taken on now, with priority on deposits that have a named processing route. Lots are listed as sellers describe them — the most reliable checks are done in person at the Provincial Mining Director’s office.
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