By Thomas Chidamba
THE potential reopening of Zimbabwe’s Shabani Mashava Mine, once the world’s leading producer of high-quality asbestos, is reigniting debate over its economic significance, job creation potential, and the global asbestos market.
Closed since 2008, the mine was the economic backbone of Zvishavane, a town that once boasted the highest income per capita in Zimbabwe due to thriving asbestos exports.
Advocates for its reopening argue that resuming operations could revitalize local economies, create thousands of jobs, and boost national revenue through both raw mineral extraction and value addition industries.
Former Turnall Fibre Cement Production Manager Engineer Zvikomborero Lazarus Duri, Doctorate Scholar (Amity University, India), has been vocal about the economic loss caused by the mine’s closure, describing the global ban on chrysotile asbestos as “illogical” and calling on Zimbabwe to exploit its natural resources rather than yield to external pressure.
“Zimbabwe is a land of milk and honey,” Eng. Duri said, stressing the country’s vast untapped mineral wealth.
Duri, who isalso a Former Harare Institute of Technology Material Science Lecturer, questioned the rationale behind the mine’s shutdown, arguing that chrysotile asbestos remains irreplaceable in key industries.
“For you to substitute this material with any other, you must match the technical characteristics of white chrysotile asbestos, a hydrated magnesium silicate compound. Why are we banning something that has no perfect alternative?” he said.
Eng. Duri, a former Technology Centre Director, and Matrial Science Lecturer, pointed to critical sectors such as aviation and automotive manufacturing and construction where he claims replacing asbestos with alternative materials has led to increase in some mechanical failures and use of substandard materials.
The cellulose-based fibre replacements used in Nutec fibres used to replace chrysotile asbestos in roofing sheets and asbestos cement sewer and freshwater pipes for water reticulation have struggled to fully replace the functionality of the asbestos characteristics in these critical products, he asserted.
Properties of the cellulose (Wood Chips) can not match the properties of the asbestos in terms of melting point (>3000 degrees in asbestos vs less than 150 degrees in wood chips) Acrylic Fibres melting point is less than with very poor thermal expansion and high water retention.
This makes the product produced have increased water porosity due to micro cracks developed after each thermal expansion cycle.
Asbestos is very stable under these conditions and was the reason Zimbabwe developed fast in infrastructure development and new residential area servicing.
Zimbabwes asbestos is known for its high quality in terms of length (long fibres) and was used traditionally to blend other fibres from other producer countries in the heat-resistant textiles industry.
Duri, also highlighted that Zimbabwe, despite being rich in asbestos, was persuaded to shut down production while other major asbestos-producing nations, including China, Russia, Canada, India, and Brazil, continue operations without restrictions.
Asbestos was widely used globally for decades, particularly in construction, insulation, and industrial applications, due to its fire resistance and durability.
However, health concerns, particularly its link to diseases such as asbestosis and mesothelioma, led to widespread bans in Europe and other regions.
This was mainly prevalent in mines that mined brown and blue asbestos fibres, and not the white asbestos mined in Zimbabwe.
The technical properties of these three asbestos groups are different due to the mineral composition of each.
The brown and blue contain high iron levels which makes them rigid and needle like- a property that influences its carcinogenic properties.
The white asbestos is soft and has no iron in its microstructure with the human body also able to dissolve the magnesium and the silica, which are its main constituent elements.
Iron sheets alternatives are prone to oxidation and rusting and have a shorter life when compared to asbestos.
Critics argue that these bans were strategically imposed only after Western nations had depleted their own reserves, leaving developing economies like Zimbabwe at a disadvantage.
“Europe is still living on asbestos pipes, sheets, and infrastructure, yet they tell us to abandon our mines. The truth is, they finished theirs and don’t want competition from us,” Eng. Duri claimed.
Before its closure, the Shabani Mashava Mine operated three sites, Shabani Mine, Gaths Mine, and King Mine in Mashava, once among Zimbabwe’s most productive mining assets.
The mine’s shutdown led to massive job losses, economic downturns in surrounding communities, and a decline in asbestos exports, which had been a key contributor to Zimbabwe’s foreign currency earnings.
Proponents of reopening argue that with modern safety protocols, controlled mining, and improved processing technologies, Zimbabwe could re-enter the asbestos market while addressing environmental and health concerns.
Other countries currently producing are using the Safe Use Principle. Asbestos production output worldwide dropped from 2 million tons to approximately 1.3m tons.
The balance was largely fibre that was produced from Zimbabwe. Creating local and regional demand for the asbestos fibre becomes key.
The government has yet to make a formal commitment regarding the mine’s future, though speculation about its reopening has grown amid ongoing economic challenges.
With the global demand for industrial minerals still strong, supporters believe that reviving Shabani Mashava Mine could be a turning point for the local mining and construction sectors.
However, concerns over asbestos-related health risks and international trade restrictions remain significant obstacles that authorities will have to navigate if the mine is to resume operations.
