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Walter Nyamukondiwa Kariba Bureau
FOR more than 40 years, the Kariba glitterstone, a fascinating shiny stone of silver, purple and brownish hues has adorned palaces, houses, business premises and swimming pools in the country and  beyond.

Mined about 20 kilometres before Kariba Town, the glitterstone industry has been through highs and lows but of late an air of uncertainty engulfs the open cast mines.

Depressed demand for the naturally flacked stone and low prices by unscrupulous buyers who go on to sell them at higher prices have left players in the sector on the edge.

From an established value addition ecosystem where stones were mined, cut and polished before heading for the glitzy capitals of the world, the machinery now lies idle.

The only activity that has remained is the mining of the stone where an occasional truckload is whisked away to destinations such as Harare.

In an interview, Mr Francis Sixpence, who has worked at the open cast mines as one enters Kariba for the past 25 years, said the situation has continued to deteriorate over the years.

“Things were once good here but we now have to be content in doing just enough to get us by. This is in sharp contrast to the kind of effort needed to get the stone,” said Mr Sixpence.

“This job is painful without machinery. We should get fair value for our labour.”

A square metre of the stones now costs between US40c and a dollar.

Prices have tumbled from as much as US$3 per square metres during the multicurrency era.

“The most painful thing is that even when the buyers get the stones for as little as 50c, they sell them for as much as US$5 per square metre,” he said.

In an interview, supervisor at Zim Slates which is a walkable distance from the mines, Mr Nomatter Mambi said the machines which used to polish and cut the stones have not been working since May 2018.

“We last processed an order in May of 2018 and the machinery has not worked since then. We have been receiving enquiries but because of the prices, that is the end of it,” said Mr Mambi.

The machinery had capacity to process a tonne of stones per hour, translating to between 11 000 and 12 000 square metres of stone per year.

Slates produced at the mines were exported to countries in the region and markets such as China and the European continent.

The wooden crates of the last order which was destined for China remains unpacked and now disfigured due to the vagaries of time and weather.

The order fell through after delays in processing the importation documents on the Chinese side.

“Our last order, which we wanted to export remains here in the crates because it never materialised following challenges encountered by the clients in their homeland. It was like a bad omen because we have not had any exports since then.

“Things were good for us when we used to export. Life was comfortable and we look back with nostalgia at the good old days,” he said.

Instability in the currency market, he said, had made the situation worse as customers fail to understand the three-tier pricing system and its implication for their business. This has come to nought as nothing is being processed currently.

Like all major mining operations or commercial activity, a settlement of around 500 people has evolved over the years with a satellite school, Nyanyana, to cater for the children.

The quarries of glitterstone spread from Kazangarare in Hurungwe to Kariba and into Zambia. Mr Sixpence said the stone can easily be identified as it protrudes from the earth surface.

“In mining the stone we use hammers and chisels to separate the flacks which ironically are symmetrical and straight. I have grown to understand the industry and stones over time to know that the quality of the stone varies with depth. Others prefer the purple shade, others silver and for others it is brown,” he said.