Chemaden Resources Ltd: Abandoned After Nine Years of Service

By Staff Reporter

For nearly a decade, William Mpofu stood watch over the Congorilla mining claims on behalf of Chemaden Resources Ltd — mediating disputes, chasing off illegal miners, and keeping the site’s paperwork in order with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development. He did it, he says, with a signed appointment letter in hand and a company’s word that he would be compensated for his work.

Today, Mr. Mpofu says he has been pushed out of the site he protected and never paid what he was promised — while the man he accuses of forcing him out faces fraud charges over the very claims he was hired to safeguard.

A Formal Appointment, A Clear Mandate

Mr. Mpofu’s role at Congorilla wasn’t informal. On April 19, 2016, Chemaden Resources Ltd formally appointed him as a mediator and security officer, in a letter signed by the company’s mine manager, G. Salimu. The mandate was specific. He was to:

• Settle disputes between Chemaden and local farmer Edson Kadzombe over the Congorilla claims (1–4)
• Prevent illegal mining activity at the site
• Ensure the claims stayed valid, including submitting the required monthly returns to the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development

Per the letter, his appointment was to run until Chemaden officially resumed operations at the site.

Holding the Line for Nine Years

Mr. Mpofu describes the role as demanding far more than the letter’s bullet points suggest — especially during periods when the company itself was struggling to meet its obligations to workers on site.

One turning point came in 2017, when Kadzombe, the local farmer, asked to meet with the claims’ owner, John Ma. Mr. Mpofu says he personally arranged and facilitated that meeting — the first contact between the two men since Chemaden’s purchase of the claims — and that Ma acknowledged his role in keeping the relationship between the company and the farmer stable.

That stability, Mr. Mpofu says, began to unravel with the arrival of Huan Baoquan, a Chinese businessman entrusted with managing Chemaden’s assets. According to Mr. Mpofu, Huan had him forcibly removed from the site he had spent years protecting.

An Alleged Pattern

Mr. Mpofu’s account doesn’t stand alone. Huan Baoquan is currently facing fraud charges in court, accused of misappropriating close to US$2 million through unauthorized sales of Chemaden Resources’ mining claims — including the Congorilla claims Mr. Mpofu was hired to protect.

The contrast, as Mr. Mpofu tells it, is stark: while Huan allegedly profited from unauthorized sales of the claims, the man who spent nine years defending them from illegal miners and internal neglect has received nothing. He says the verbal agreements made about paying him for his years of service were never honored.

“I Am Left With Nothing”

Mr. Mpofu says he went beyond his formal duties, at times personally covering costs for workers when the company failed to pay them, in order to keep the site functioning and the peace with the surrounding community intact.

“I looked after this mine and even talked to the farmer for them to come and work,” he said. “If I had done something wrong, I would have faced the consequences, but instead, someone [Huan] came to steal everything I looked after for nine years, and I am left with nothing.”

What Comes Next

With Huan Baoquan’s fraud case still before the courts, Mr. Mpofu is calling on Chemaden Resources Ltd to honor the commitments made to him and recognize nine years of service — including the personal sacrifices he says he made to keep the Congorilla claims intact and productive.

This article is based on an account provided by William Mpofu and documentation including his 2016 appointment letter. Chemaden Resources Ltd and Huan Baoquan have not yet provided comment; this article will be updated if a response is received.