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Tharisa due to consider Selous PGM project proposal by end of year

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Tharisa due to consider Selous PGM project proposal by end of year

THARISA said it was due to present a development proposal for a platinum group metals (PGM) mine in Zimbabwe before the year-end after resuming drilling on the project at the end of last year and completing technical studies.

The company has a 26.8% stake in Karo Platinum which was in March this year awarded the mining right over a 90 million ounce PGM resource in Zimbabwe’s Selous PGM-bearing region.

Selous is part of the Great Dyke in Mashonaland, West District of Zimbabwe. Previous estimates suggested Karo’s mineral holdings of Selous could support a 1.4 million oz a year PGM mine, and a refinery.

Ilja Graulich, head of investor relations for Tharisa, acknowledged drilling of the prospect had been delayed last year owing to Covid-19 disruption but said the company was moving towards an investment decision.

“We are now doing the groundwork with the second round of drilling have restarted in November. We will be presenting this to the board where we might either take the project in-house or develop it through Karo,” said Graulich.

The Selous deposit was previously owned (and drilled) by Zimplats, controlled by Impala Platinum.

Tharisa could consider a special dividend, according to comments made by Tharisa CEO, Phoevos Pouroulis in July. This was following the firm’s third quarter numbers in which the company said it was course for full-year production guidance from its operations in South Africa of between 155,000 to 165,000 ounces of PGMs and between 1.45 to 1.55 million tons of chrome concentrate.

Supported by PGM basket prices, which eased but remained elevated, the company increased net cash 40% to $41.8m as of June 30. This was after paying its interim dividend of $10.8m.

MiningMX

Bubi Stakeholders meet to discuss farmer-miner conflicts

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Bubi Stakeholders meet to discuss farmer-miner conflicts

Bubi stakeholders on Monday held a meeting to discuss how best they can resolve farmer-miner conflicts in communities.

Shantel Chisango

Stakeholders present during the meeting were the Ministry of Mining and Mines Development, Environmental Management Agency (EMA), Rural District Council, Zimbabwe Republic Police, and delegates from Agritex.

At the meeting, it was discussed that entitlement is the major cause of farmer-miner conflicts, hence the urgency to properly address the issues.

Adding on, it was said that both the mining and farming sector are crucial to the development of the country’s economy.

It was also stated that the reason why conflicts arise among miners and farmers, is because both parties fail to peacefully work together.

“Both farmers and miners lack understanding on the power of working together,” said a delegate at the meeting.

Furthermore, the issue of pegging arose during the meeting and the Mines ministry elaborated on the issue of pegging saying that it is not its responsibility, but the responsibility of prospectors.

“The Ministry of Mines explains the pegging process to the Bubi Stakeholders. It has been elaborated that the Ministry doesn’t Peg mines but peggers.”

Moreover, the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) commented that the miner-farmer conflict has been in the public domain for a while.

“The issue of #farmer #miner conflict continues to dominate discussions in several mining communities,” said ZELA.

ZELA emphasised the importance of managing conflict before it takes a toll on the community.

“We have to manage conflict before it manages us,” added ZELA.

It wasn’t clear however if artisanal small-scale miners and prospectors were represented at the event since they are at the forefront of the disputes.

BREAKING: Trouble brewing as map is stolen at Chinhoyi office

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BREAKING: Trouble brewing as map is stolen at Chinhoyi office

The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development Mashonalandwest Provincial office lost a mining claim map for an area in Norton, an inside source revealed to Mining Zimbabwe.

The reasons behind the theft of the map is not known as yet but there is a growing belief that those who stole the map wanted to cover up a mining concession dispute raising fears of more trouble brewing from the affected area.

Mines officials are allegedly blaming miners and prospectors for the theft. Investigations by the police are however in progress and nothing has been recovered as yet.

Miners have been calling for the government to quickly introduce the mining cadastral system to reduce disputes and other such risks.

Minister Winston Chitando recently handed over brand new maps to all provinces replacing the mostly torn, unreadable tattered maps to the delight of the mining industry.

Mashonalandwest is arguably the richest province housing major miners like Zimplats, Cam and Motor, Elvington, Eldorado, Pickstone Peerless, Dalny Mine, Great Dyke Investments, Mhangura mine, Golden Valley, Venice Mine and many more.

This is a developing story.

More to follow…

Zimbabwe asked to settle $70 million debt after Legal Loss

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Zimbabwe asked to settle $70 million debt after Legal Loss

Zimbabwe has been asked to settle a $70 million debt after it lost an international arbitration case over cancelled nickel and platinum ventures between a private company and the state miner more than a decade ago.

Companies linked to Amaplat Mauritius Ltd. made the proposal in a Sept. 15 letter to Zimbabwe’s Secretary for Finance and Economic Development, George Guvamatanga, seen by a South African publication, Bloomberg.

The alternative is having the assets of the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corp. seized after the 2019 ruling.

The case highlights challenges faced by Zimbabwe as it seeks to use its mineral wealth to kickstart a stagnant economy after years of erratic policy decisions and asset seizures sapped investor confidence. While investors from Russia, Cyprus and Nigeria have had plans to open platinum mines over the last three years, little progress has been made. The country also has large gold and chrome deposits.

Under the proposal made by Amaplat, Zimbabwe would:

  • Make a $15 million payment into an account at the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. The bank would then permit these to be paid to the companies outside the country
  • Pay the euro equivalent of $30 million into an international bank account held by Amaplat
  • Pay the companies the equivalent of $25 million in the form of mining assets in the country

The payment plan has also been discussed in a meeting with Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor John Mangudya the company principals, according to the letter.

“There are discussions taking place between Amaplats,  the Ministry of Mines and ZMDC and these are progressing very, very well although nothing has been concluded,” Guvamatanga said in a response to queries. “I can’t comment on the contents of the letter.”

Mangudya didn’t respond to two calls to his mobile phone and a text message. Titan Law, the counsel in Zimbabwe for Amaplat, declined to comment.

Zimbabwe’s mines ministry referred questions to the finance ministry and a call to Amaplat’s office in Mauritius wasn’t answered.

Bloomberg

Kadoma ASM take initiative to reduce environmental damage

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Kadoma ASM take initiative to reduce environmental damage

Artisanal Small-scale Miners (ASM) in Kadoma are taking a step further to minimize environmental damage in the communities they are operating in.

Vongai Mbara

During a fact-finding tour with the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) yesterday, Mr Joannes Sithole popularly known as Mrasta revealed that he was taking measures at his mine to reduce dust and water pollution in the community.

“Our goal is to make sure that the community is happy and comfortable. We are recycling our water so that there is low spillage. We are also rehabilitating our roads to minimise dust which is harmful to the community,” the famous Mrasta said.

To add on, Mr Sithole said he is also practising his social responsibility by empowering members of the community.

“We have built canteens and families are taking turns to use them to do their businesses, free of charge. We managed to put an electricity transformer and we have employed many youths in the community to work on the mine.”

Speaking in an interview with this publication, Thembonkosi Mangena, an employee for Sithole applauded the efforts made by miners in their district to empower young people.

“A lot of families are benefitting from these initiatives. I work here on the mine but I have a family also benefiting so I am grateful for that.”

ZMF encouraged ASM to continue working and engaging with the community to avoid conflict. They emphasized the importance of safety measures to minimise accidents at their mines.

BREAKING: ZMF MashWest executive initiate ASM growth

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BREAKING: ZMF MashWest executive initiate ASM growth

Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF)’s Mashonaland West Executive has established Artisanal and Small Scale Miners (ASM) fact-finding mission and solution enclined mining visits to see the growth and development of small scale mining in the province.

Rudairo Mapuranga

The initiative which was pioneered on Tuesday will see the executive led by Mr Timothy Chizuzu (Chairperson), Mr Johannes Sithole (Treasury) and Ms Gladys Hwami visiting mines across the province to establish an acceptable and standard small scale miner in Zimbabwe.

ZMF which is an umbrella body representing all ASM in the country is optimistic that the sector will add a significant impact on the President’s vision for the country to become an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.

The country’s largest ASM representative body believe that ASM has all it takes to become a US$4 billion industry by 2023.

The visits are expected to inspire Miners in the province to learn from each other as well as bringing a platform where Miners would want to learn and copy from other’s strengths for the betterment of small scale mining for economic development.

According to Mr Chizuzu, the visit has proved beyond doubt that small scale mining is heading towards bringing a future native-owned and prosperous mining industry.

“We are impressed with how Miners are growing from insignificant little by little without seeking stock market funds or bank loans. This proves that step by step ASM has the potential to grow,” he said.

Illegal miners turn to robberies, increasing criminal activities in mining towns

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Illegal miners turn to robberies, increasing criminal activities in mining towns

A number of criminal activities have been linked to illegal miners who are looking for alternative ways to earn a living.

Vongai Mbara

Addressing miners from Zimbabwe Miners Federation Mashwest Province in Kadoma yesterday, Officer Commanding District Chief Superintended Kezia Karuru said the number of criminal activities in mining towns is alarmingly rising as a result of illegal miners engaging in robberies.

“Illegal miners are coming from all parts of the country in search of mineral resources. However, when they come into mining towns, they don’t always find what they are looking for and instead, start engaging in criminal activities such as robberies to source for food,” he said.

Karuru encouraged the miners to be ethical and help the government in reducing the crime of illegal mining.

“The national statement is, No to illegal mining so my plea is that miners should assist to uphold the national status. Mining and Agriculture are the backbones of our country, therefore they should be done ethically. There are laws governing mining and they should not be broken.

“People without knowledge and identity linked to mining are engaging in mining activities and it is not acceptable. Let us all work together and end illegal mining,” he added.

Many reports have been made against illegal miners who are engaging in different criminal activities.

In Esigodini, there are cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and child pregnancies by illegal miners.

Zimbabwe Miners Federation chairperson, Mr Timothy Chizuzu said their organization is working closely with Small Scale Miners to equip them with the knowledge and ethics required in running mining projects.

Domboshava residents face displacement in new gold rush

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Domboshava residents face displacement in new gold rush

Domboshava residents on the outskirts of Harare are facing imminent displacement to accommodate a clique of gold miners.

Vongai Mbara

The fresh gold rush is allegedly happening without following due process, including an environmental impact assessment (EIA) and other licencing processes.

The community is crying foul for not being engaged and the matter has since escalated to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s office as the desperate villagers scrounge for help.

The gold rush is led by an association of small-scale miners under the Gold Miners Federation (GMF) banner.

Its claims span over five villages — Mazanhi, Muunganirwa, Ruzvidzo, N’andu and Chakavarika which are home to religious shrines of national heritage.

Reportedly, there is name-dropping of senior officials said to be backing the evictions and the villagers are now living in fear of imminent displacement.

Information gathered by the Zimbabwe Independent shows that the area pegged includes Gasura Mountain, popularly known as Gomo raGabriel, a shrine for an apostolic sect.

Traditional leaders are concerned that the displacements will affect the spiritual and ancestral links of many villagers.

The villagers claim they fear that if the mountains are tempered with, there could be a repeat of the Chimaninimani catastrophe where homes and infrastructure and lives were lost due to Cyclone Idai in 2019.

This follows reports of villagers in Mutoko and Murehwa who are facing eviction from their ancestral lands to pave way for Chinese miners.

Lately, there has been an increase of cases where indigenous owners of the land are threatened with displacement to make way for mostly Chinese investors.

As previously reported by this publication, swathes of mineral fields have been controversially parcelled out at an alarming pace, in what could be a scandalous mortgaging of natural resources to Chinese nationals, sidelining local residents.

Recently, it came to light that 1 500 Mutoko villagers are likely to be moved to make way for a black granite mine owned by Chinese investors.

In Mavuradonha, foreign miners invaded game parks to exploit chrome. A Chinese miner also got a claim in Hwange National Park for coal.

A top artisanal gold miner, who has information about the Domboshava area, said, “This area was pegged a long time ago and the real issue is that villagers should learn to wake up and take the initiative instead of watching others taking over their resources.”

Gvt criticised for Chinese land “invasion” and destruction

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Gvt criticised for Chinese land “invasion” and destruction

The Zimbabwean government has been criticised for allowing Chinese companies to “invade and destroy” rural communities for mining with disregard to existing laws and community livelihood.

Shantel Chisango

This followed after a video of a Chinese mining company went viral on social media for surface blasting near Mutoko rural homesteads. Livestock is seen running for cover and debris destroying some of the homes below the blast site which is at the top of a mountain.

The Chinese company at the site made headlines after the company pegged a whole village of 70 homesteads and told people to seek alternative land to occupy. No community consultation was ever done which is a breach of the communal lands act chapter [20:04]. A recent visit by the Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development had Hon Polite Kambamura saying govt has taken note of the grievances.

It is not clear what the government intends to do next.

In the background of the video, a voice of a young boy is heard shouting that the kitchen of his grandmother had been destroyed by the blast.

“Kitchen yaGogo yapwanyiwa (my grandmother’s kitchen has been destroyed),” says the young boy speaking in the background in Mutoko.

Commenting on the blast, journalist Hopewell Chin’ono stated that the government is to blame for allowing the Chinese to practice mining while destroying communities.

“This is what gvt has allowed the Chinese to do in Zimbabwe, to cause environmental degradation whilst driving out black locals from their ancestral land,” said Hopewell.

Adding on, the Centre for Research and Development Zimbabwe (CRDZIM) commented that the government is reluctantly not doing anything about amending the mines and minerals bills since 2018.

“President Mnangagwa’s government has been sitting on the mines and minerals bill since 2018. The reasons are becoming clearer for everyone to see. Sad,” commented CRDZimbabwe.

Mining Girl Child Indaba rescheduled

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Mining Girl Child Indaba rescheduled

The much-awaited Mining Girl Child Indaba (MGCI) which was expected to take place next month has been moved to December, Mining Girl Child Indabala Chief Executive Officer Ms Nomsa Mpofu has said.

Rudairo Mapuranga

The launch of the Mining Girl Child Indaba (MGCI) is expected to bring an end to the heart-wrenching situation faced by the girl child in the mining community

According to Mpofu, the Indaba has been rescheduled due to the constraints induced by the covid-19 pandemic as the event partners were affected by the lockdowns.

“I would like to announce that our indaba Dates are moved from the 15th of October to the 3rd of December due to Sponsorship. Please be advised that it has been a rough page for our partners due to the pandemic and agreed to give them time to prepare for our sponsorship requests. Above all would like to kindly ask you to bear with us and keep on supporting us, we can never be successful without your backup,” Mpofu said.

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) has been prevalent in Zimbabwe within the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) and the large-scale mining (LSM) sectors with verbal and sexual harassment, sexual violence, physical violence, and socio-economic violence affecting the girl child the most.

There is no one uniform manifestation of SGBV in the mining sector and the forms can range from verbal abuse to extreme acts of sexual violence. For women as LSM employees, sexual harassment is the most common form of SGBV. Women as ASM workers experience egregious acts of sexual violence.

Mining companies according to Ms Mpofu have a responsibility to make mining communities a safe place for women, the reason Miss Mines Zimbabwe created the indaba to bring an end to sexual and gender-based violence within the mining sector.

“It’s the indaba’s objective to gather every relevant Stakeholder to take part in maintaining communities making them worth living for the Girlchild. The launch of the indaba is there to bring an end to these horrible situations. Note…not to reduce but to bring an end by all costs.”

“Everything happening goes back to the responsibility of operating mining companies.  It’s their duty to maintain a safe environment for their businesses in collaboration with the Government.” She said.

According to Mpofu, women as community members need recourse to safe and functioning justice and referral mechanisms should they encounter SGBV, as well as accessible, well-designed company grievance mechanisms and gender desks that consider preventative concerns, as well as complaints after SGBV has occurred.

She said that mining sector stakeholders need to do more to tackle SGBV, this should be through collaboration with existing SGBV actors, drawing on existing professional standards, and guidance on SGBV prevention and response.

Mpofu said Mining Companies should promote giving back to the community’s initiatives through

  • Supporting sustainable projects
  • Provide scholarships
  • Start stretching their Mining businesses to a Tourism related business i.e build hotels, jewellery museums, introduce travel and tours, etc so as to create employment for the girls also this attracts more investors and tourists.
  • Promote building of schools and colleges
  • Support awareness for the benefit of the GirlChild
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