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Southern Africa is moving to claim a larger share of the global zinc industry. Major investments in South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Namibia are expanding processing capacity, lifting production potential and keeping more of the region’s mineral value close to home.
A R7 billion (US$424 million) expansion at Vedanta’s Gamsberg zinc mine moved into its next phase on 16 October, when South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa inaugurated the Phase II concentrator plant. Approved and launched in 2022, the project is designed to double annual capacity from 250,000 tonnes to 500,000 tonnes of zinc, which would materially raise the operation’s contribution to regional and global supply.
In the DRC, Ivanhoe Mines has completed a debottlenecking programme at its Kipushi operation. Finished in 2025, it lifted annual ore processing capacity by 20%. In Namibia, Appian Capital Advisory is advancing its RP2.0 expansion at the Rosh Pinah zinc mine, which it acquired in June 2023. The project aims to double annual ore throughput from 700,000 tonnes to 1.4 million tonnes. That would support a targeted average annual zinc output of 170 million pounds, or roughly 77,000 tonnes.
The three projects signal a concerted push to raise throughput and output across the region. Their commercial impact will nonetheless hinge on commissioning schedules, operational ramp up, ore grades, processing efficiency and prevailing market prices. Demand fundamentals supply part of the investment case. Zinc is used chiefly to galvanise steel and protect it from corrosion, with further applications in alloys, construction and automotive manufacturing. Infrastructure spending and the energy transition could add to demand. Consumption growth remains exposed, however, to global industrial activity, construction cycles and broader economic conditions.
Supply dynamics matter just as much to the outlook. In a 2024 interview with Fastmarkets, Appian cited tightening supply as one of the factors underpinning the case for expanding Rosh Pinah. More recent market signals paint a more nuanced picture, with price gains coexisting with signs of improved concentrate availability from China. Trading Economics data show zinc prices up by more than 25% year on year, even after a decline of about 5% over the past month. The swings highlight how quickly shifting supply expectations and market sentiment can alter producer economics. They also caution against extrapolating short term price moves into long term investment returns.
At Kipushi, the benefits of added processing capacity are already visible in operating performance, with the mine posting quarterly production highs since the start of 2026. Ivanhoe expects output of up to 290,000 tonnes this year, against 203,168 tonnes in 2025. Delivering on that forecast would mark a substantial annual increase, although the mine’s ultimate contribution to global supply will depend on actual output and on how well that pace is sustained.
The task at Rosh Pinah is to convert greater throughput into higher zinc production. Gamsberg must now turn its newly inaugurated Phase II infrastructure into consistent operating performance as it works towards design capacity. Vedanta reported zinc production of 185,000 tonnes for the financial year ended March 2026, which covers April 2025 to March 2026.
