ZACC has arrested Orequest co-director Ning Yaokun in a widening investigation into the alleged smuggling of 720 tonnes of unbeneficiated lithium ore out of Zimbabwe.

The government has begun strictly enforcing its suspension on the export of raw lithium and other unprocessed precious minerals, halting hundreds of haulage trucks at Forbes Border Post in a move aimed at accelerating local beneficiation. The directive, announced by Mines and Mining Development Minister Polite Kambamura, seeks to maximise revenue from Zimbabwe’s vast lithium reserves, a critical mineral used in electronic batteries and clean energy technologies.