en.Wedoany.com Reported - Zimbabwe's Freda Rebecca Gold Mine is investing $1.2 million in new laboratory facilities to enhance technical capabilities and operational efficiency after obtaining ISO/IEC 17025 certification.

The investment includes $1 million for construction and $200,000 for fittings. The new laboratory will be equipped with a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) to further improve data integrity and predictability. The new facility is expected to become operational in the coming months.

"We have actually started building a new laboratory," said Alfred Chinyere, General Manager of Freda Rebecca Gold Mine. "This will cost us $1 million. Including fittings, it will be around $1.2 million."

On July 21, 2026, the Southern African Development Community Accreditation Service (SADCAS) officially handed over the certificate, making the mine the first gold mining operation in Zimbabwe to obtain ISO/IEC 17025 certification. The certification is valid for five years, until March 15, 2031, and covers chemical analysis—a core function for determining ore grades, guiding exploration decisions, supporting mine planning, and verifying gold bars for commercial transactions.

Dr Eve Gadzikwa, CEO of SADCAS, stated that as of May 31, 2026, SADCAS had issued 442 certification certificates to 365 institutions in the region, with five certificates issued outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

Sibongile Maphosa, Human Resources Manager at Freda Rebecca, noted that the accuracy and reliability of analysis results affect all processes and key decisions from exploration to plant operations, describing the laboratory as the "brain" of the mine.

The certification and new laboratory investment align with the government's strategy to reduce dependence on foreign testing facilities. In April 2026, the Cabinet approved a mineral value chain framework, which includes a national mineral research and analysis science laboratory infrastructure pillar, aimed at ending "the high-cost and high-risk situation of relying on foreign laboratories for mineral certification."

Patrick Maseva-Shayawabaya, CEO of Mutapa Gold Resources, emphasized that reliable in-house testing will reduce delays caused by repeated testing, uncertainty, result disputes, and over-reliance on external verification. Through ongoing active exploration efforts, this certification will help manage and reduce exploration costs.

The new laboratory will support Freda Rebecca Gold Mine's exploration program, which has tripled its exploration expenditure this year to nearly $8 million. The mine is drilling 46,000 meters as part of a plan to extend the mine's life from the current four years to at least ten years.

Chinyere stated that transitioning the certification certificate to the new laboratory will demonstrate further improvements in analytical capabilities.

This investment comes as Zimbabwe ramps up gold production to support its gold-backed currency, Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG). Mutapa Gold Resources contributes approximately 70% of Freda Rebecca's output and aims to increase monthly gold production from the current 300 to 310 kilograms to 570 to 600 kilograms by the end of 2026 and the first half of 2027. The company has secured $125 million in funding from a local banking consortium for expansion projects at the Shamva and Jena mines, while the new laboratory investment is part of Freda Rebecca Gold Mine's broader operational improvement plan.