Mbeya Region

Mining equipment supply in Chunya

Chunya is the centre of the Lupa Goldfield, one of Tanzania’s oldest gold mining districts and now one of its most active small-scale processing areas. Around Makongolosi, Matundasi and Itumbi, licensed small miners run complete processing plants with crushers, ball mills, gravity concentrators, CIP tanks and elution units, and Chunya hosts a government mineral market. It is served from Mbeya on the southern TAZARA corridor rather than through the Lake Zone.

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Geology and Mining in Chunya

The Lupa Goldfield covers about 2,600 square kilometres of Chunya District and neighbouring Songwe, in the south-western highlands. Unlike the Archaean greenstone belts of the Lake Victoria Goldfields, Lupa gold sits in Palaeoproterozoic granitoid and metamorphic rocks, hosted mainly in shear zones and quartz veins, with alluvial and eluvial gold shed from them. The field has been worked since the gold rush of 1922, and by the late 1930s most of Tanzania’s artisanal miners worked here. Decades of amalgamation have left large volumes of tailings, which is why vat and tank leaching are so widespread in the district today.

Who Operates Here

  • A large licensed small-scale sector around Makongolosi, Matundasi, Itumbi, Chokaa and Mbugani
  • Small miners running complete plants: crushing, milling, gravity concentration, CIP and CIL tanks and elution
  • Vat leach operators reprocessing historic amalgamation tailings
  • New Luika Gold Mine in neighbouring Songwe Region, on the same goldfield
  • The Chunya mineral market, part of the national network of government mineral markets

Getting Equipment to Chunya

  • Roughly 830 km by road from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya on the TANZAM highway, then north from Mbeya to Chunya and Makongolosi
  • The only goldfield centre we supply that is reached on the southern corridor, so consignments do not route through Mwanza or Isaka
  • The TAZARA railway reaches Mbeya, which suits heavy or non-urgent loads such as tank panels and mill shells
  • Songwe Airport at Mbeya handles urgent spares and instruments
  • Roads beyond the main centres become difficult in the rainy season, so heavy deliveries are best scheduled for the dry months
  • Grid power reaches the main centres; many plant sites still rely on diesel generation

What Chunya Operations Buy

Chunya buys further down the flowsheet than most districts. Many operators already have crushing and gravity equipment, and the next purchase is leach tanks and an elution plant so they can recover the gold their gravity circuit and historic tailings still hold. With power unreliable away from the main centres, generators sized for mills and agitators are a recurring need.

Gold Leaching Tank (Agitation Tank)

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Elution & Electrowinning Plant

Elution & Electrowinning Plant

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Ball Mill for Gold Ore

Ball Mill for Gold Ore

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Centrifugal Gold Concentrator

Centrifugal Gold Concentrator

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Jaw Crusher

Jaw Crusher

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Diesel Generator for Mining

Diesel Generator for Mining

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This is what the district buys most, not the full range. Browse the full catalogue for winches, processing plant, pumps, safety equipment, software and power.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is equipment delivered to Chunya?

By road from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya on the TANZAM highway, roughly 830 km, then north to Chunya and the Makongolosi area. Heavy loads can also move by TAZARA rail to Mbeya. Allow extra time in the rainy season, when roads to outlying plant sites can become impassable for heavy trucks.

Why do so many Chunya miners run CIP tanks?

The Lupa Goldfield has been mined since the 1920s, and generations of mercury amalgamation left tailings that still hold gold. Tank and vat leaching recover that gold, and many operators also run fresh ore through a gravity circuit and then leach the tailings, which lifts overall recovery well above gravity alone.

Is there somewhere to sell gold in Chunya?

Yes. Chunya has a government mineral market, part of the national network of mineral markets and buying centres run under the Mining Commission, where licensed miners can sell gold at published indicative prices.

What should I buy first to add leaching to a gravity plant in Chunya?

Test your ore and tailings first, then check that your mill grinds fine enough for leaching. The main purchases are a train of agitated leaching tanks with interstage screens, a way to handle loaded carbon, and access to an elution plant, whether your own or a shared one. Lined tailings storage and cyanide permits must be in place before you start.

Supply to Chunya

Need equipment delivered to Chunya?

Tell us the duty, the site conditions and your power supply. We quote landed in Chunya, with freight, duty and inland transport included, so the figure you approve is the figure you pay.