Garikai Bera joined Zimbabwean platinum mining company Zimplats in April 2009, and in his current role assumes an important position in providing comprehensive legal support to the company that grew its revenue in the past year almost 10% from $471.8m in the 2016 financial year to $512.5m.

An Australian Stock Exchange listed company that is a subsidiary of South African mining giant Impats, it operates four underground mines and one open pit mine and has a workforce of approximately 6,000 employees in total. Bera has been crucial in providing a solid legal and compliance basis from which the company has achieved not only large improvements in its revenue but a record figure of 7 million tonnes of ore mined in total during 2016.

Bera’s impressive tenure with the company as well as his robust legal knowledge and commercially-focused advice contributed to his appointment as company secretary of the operating subsidiary in May 2014. He will be vital in the company’s future plans to expand its operations by redeveloping its Bimha Mine, a project that remains on course to reach design production in April 2018. Earlier in his legal career, Garikai Bera was one of the founding partners of the Dube, Manikai and Hwacha (DMH) law firm in association with Mandivenga Mhishi and he received his graduate degree from the University of Zimbabwe.