Bubi to construct modern gold recovery plant
BUBI Milling Centre (Private) Limited plans to construct a Carbon-In-Pulp plant in Matabeleland North under a Build-Operate-Transfer arrangement.
The milling centre is one of the numerous gold service centres earmarked for capacitating artisanal and small-scale miners to realise optimum returns from their ore.
Bubi Milling Centre, a joint venture between Bubi Small-Scale Miners’ Association and the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) was commissioned by Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga in July 2018.
According to a joint request of expression of interest, the Zimbabwe Development Agency (Zida) and the Bubi Milling Centre have invited proposals from reputable and established companies to supply, install, construct and commission a CIP plant at the gold service Centre.
A CIP plant is an extraction technique for recovery of gold, which has been liberated into a cyanide solution as part of the gold cyanidation process.
“Proposals are invited from reputable, reliable, established companies for the construction of a CIP gold processing plant under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) arrangement with Bubi Milling Centre,” reads the notice.
“Interested bidders are required to obtain detailed expression of interest documents from the Bubi Milling Centre offices (44km along Bulawayo-Nkayi Road).”
In a post-Cabinet media briefing this Tuesday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said establishing more gold centres was being targeted as a strategy towards achievement of a US$12 billion mining industry by 2023.
In this context, she said, Cabinet has approved proposals for the establishment of over 20 gold centres across the country by mid next year.
“Gold centres are expected to provide basic equipment such as compressors and jack hammers as well as working capital to facilitate optimal production by small-scale miners who supply gold ore,” she said.
“The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe shall maintain presence, directly or through approved buying agencies, at all gold centres so as to buy all the gold produced. The gold centres will also provide technical services to miners who supply the ore.
“Cabinet approved proposals for the establishment of over 20 gold centres by mid-2022.
“Accordingly, memoranda of understanding will be signed with four investors who have been identified for the purpose of setting up the gold centres.
“The investors will own 100 percent equity in the centres, while those who operate joint ventures with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development will fully fund the operations of the centres in return for a 90 percent equity stake.”
Minister Mutsvangwa said Cabinet, therefore, approved that the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development signs memoranda of understanding with investors intending to locate, establish, fund and run gold centres already provided for in the Mines and Minerals Act.
“Some of the gold centres are expected to be established in Makaha, Odzi, Mount Darwin, Shamva, Mazowe and Silobela,” she said.