NEC for Mining Industry April to June 2021.
The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development
The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development also known as the Ministry of Mines is responsible for the administration of the Mines and Minerals Act (Chapter 21:05) of Zimbabwe.
Its mission is to promote sustainable exploration, mining, processing, marketing and management of mineral resources for the benefit of all Zimbabweans.
The Ministry of Mines formulates, monitors and evaluates the implementation of mining development policies which are geared to effectively account for the country’s mineral resources for the benefit of every Zimbabwean reads the Ministry website.
The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has its key deliverable as the generation of revenue for the Nation of Zimbabwe through mining. In the whole mining value chain, the Ministry does business with a variety of external and internal clients. The Ministry makes a commitment to provide a service to the specified quality standards and within stated time limits.
Zimbabwe’s mining industry is focused on a diverse range of small to medium-mining operations. The most important minerals produced by Zimbabwe include gold, asbestos, chromite, coal and base metals. The mining industry contributes approximately 8% to the country’s GDP.
Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development Engineer Polite Kambamura
Ministry of Mines and Mining Development’s overall functions
- Formulate mining development policies
- Monitor and evaluate the implementation of mining policies
- Maintain an up-to-date database of Exploration and Mining Titles in Zimbabwe
- Design mechanisms geared at effective accounting for the country’s mineral resources
- Administer and review mining laws
- Attract investment in the mining industry
- Promote Beneficiation and Value Addition of mineral resources
- Explore, develop and beneficiate coal bed methane
- Promote and develop small-scale mining
- Facilitate the indigenisation of the mining sector
- Supervise and coordinate mining Parastatals and State Enterprises
The Ministry of Mines has provincial offices in all provinces of Zimbabwe. These provincial offices are responsible for issuing Prospecting licenses, Mining titles and all relevant mining permits.
The current Minister of Mines and Mining Development is Hon Winston Chitando, Deputised by Hon Polite Kambamura with Pfungwa Kunaka being the permanent secretary.
The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development head office is located on the 6th Floor, ZIMRE Centre Cnr L.Takawira St/ K. Nkrumah Avenue Harare, Zimbabwe. You can contact them by telephone (+263) 0242 777 022 – (263) 0242 777 029.
Kamativi tin mine to reopen as a Lithium operation
Zimbabwe expects the defunct Kamativi Tin Mine to be reopened as a lithium multi-element ore body operation by 2023.
The Matabeleland North-based mine, which is wholly owned by the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC), closed in 1994 due to the depressed international prices of tin.
Speaking in an interview during a tour of Blanket Gold Mine in Gwanda recently, Mines and Mining Development Minister, Winston Chitando, said the Government has a clear roadmap to facilitate Kamativi reopen in the next two years.
“It’s a mine, which had closed down for a long time. Let me be very clear, Kamativi was a tin mine and it’s not reopening as a tin mine, it’s reopening as a lithium multielement ore body mine,” he said.
“Therefore, there has to be reconfiguration, actually it’s a new plant being constructed.”
The lithium mining project in Kamativi was being implemented by the Zimbabwe Lithium Company and is expected to unlock up to US$1,4 billion investment.
Lithium is one of the minerals the Government has earmarked for playing a significant role towards the achievement of the US$12 billion mining economy by 2023.
Under the US$12 billion milestone, lithium is expected to contribute US$500 million and the figure is expected to rapidly increase beyond 2023 as more lithium mines come on board and vast improvement in output by the existing mines.
“Lithium is in terms of the US$12 billion milestone poised to contribute US$0,5 billion by 2023 but it’s contribution will exceed that figure significantly beyond 2023,” said Minister Chitando.
“It’s anchored on about four projects at the moment. We have Kamativi, which will reopen by 2023, Sandawana will also reopen, then we have got Bikita Minerals whose production has not been good in the last two years but there is production.
“We also have Zulu Lithium, another programme on the core and it is those four which are some of the major projects we have,” he said.
Zimbabwe is among major lithium producers that may draw significant benefits from firm global prices and high demand for the precious mineral due to the expected imminent supply deficit. The country is the world’s fifth-largest producer of lithium, albeit with only a single producing mine (Bikita Minerals) at present. It holds extensive deposits of the on-demand mineral widely used in the automotive and glass industries.
Lithium-ion batteries experienced a compound annual growth rate of 25% from 2015-18, driven primarily by an uptick in electric vehicles (EVs).
In 2019, global lithium demand had reportedly jumped to 49 000 tonnes, with 60% of that being for use in battery-related products.
Experts have hinted that with around a billion light-duty vehicles on the roads, and the number set to rise to three billion by 2050, electrifying the global fleet could put a huge squeeze on lithium supply.
At the heights of operation, the mine produced tin and other by-products including tantalite niobium and lithium minerals.
Africa Mining Markets
Nickel, chrome ore output decline in 1st quarter
Zimbabwe’s nickel and chrome ore production during January-March 2021 fell from a year earlier following Covid-19-related output disruptions.
Output for both products fell following production cuts during renewed lockdowns from early January to mid-February, according to data from the country’s finance and economic development ministry. Neighbouring South Africa also closed its border for one month until mid-February to combat the spread of Covid-19.
Nearly three-quarter of Zimbabwe’s chrome ore production was used in the alloy processing industry in the first quarter because of higher profits, with the rest exported directly.
China imported 141,184t of chrome ore from Zimbabwe during January-March, up by 36.4pc from a year earlier, while its shipments of high-carbon alloy rose by 9.6pc to 27,632t. Deliveries of nickel ore climbed by 30.8pc to 12,079t.
Zimbabwe’s mining industry accounted for 80pc of its total exports in the first quarter.
Nickel in Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe nickel occurs within the Archean craton in rocks of komatiitic composition a good example is at Trojan mine.
Nickel also appears layered/unlayered mafic-ultramafic intrusive bodies e.g. Empress, Madziwa Great dyke. It’s also found in nickel laterite e.g. northern part of the Great Dyke hydrothermal shear zone deposits. There are nickel deposits in several serpentinite areas in greenstone belts with igneous complexes around the country. The country has got huge potential in komatiite and laterite and more than 30 nickel deposits are known. Currently, production is at Trojan mine in Bindura.
| Zimbabwe nickel, chrome ore output | (t) | ||
| 1Q ’21 | 1Q ’20 | ± % | |
| Chrome ore | 300,926 | 353,668 | -14.9 |
| Nickel ore | 3,284 | 3,936 | -16.6 |
Scientists develop ‘cheap and easy’ method to extract lithium from seawater
Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology developed what they believe is an economically viable system to extract high-purity lithium from seawater.
Previous efforts to tease lithium from the mixture the metal makes together with sodium, magnesium and potassium in seawater yielded very little. Although the liquid contains 5,000 times more lithium than what can be found on land, it is present at extremely low concentrations of about 0.2 parts per million (ppm).To address this issue, the team led by Zhiping Lai tried a method that had never been used before to extract lithium ions. They employed an electrochemical cell containing a ceramic membrane made from lithium lanthanum titanium oxide (LLTO).
THE CERAMIC MEMBRANE’S CRYSTAL STRUCTURE CONTAINS HOLES JUST WIDE ENOUGH TO LET LITHIUM IONS PASS THROUGH WHILE BLOCKING LARGER METAL IONS
In a paper published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, the researchers explain that the membrane’s crystal structure contains holes just wide enough to let lithium ions pass through while blocking larger metal ions.
The cell itself, on the other hand, contains three compartments. Seawater flows into a central feed chamber, where positive lithium ions pass through the LLTO membrane into a side compartment that contains a buffer solution and a copper cathode coated with platinum and ruthenium. At the same time, negative ions exit the feed chamber through a standard anion exchange membrane, passing into a third compartment containing a sodium chloride solution and a platinum-ruthenium anode.
Lai and his group tested the system using seawater from the Red Sea. At a voltage of 3.25V, the cell generates hydrogen gas at the cathode and chlorine gas at the anode. This drives the transport of lithium through the LLTO membrane, where it accumulates in the side-chamber. This lithium-enriched water then becomes the feedstock for four more cycles of processing, eventually reaching a concentration of more than 9,000 ppm.
To make the final product pure enough so that it meets battery manufacturers’ requirements, the scientists then adjusted the pH of the solution to deliver solid lithium phosphate that contains mere traces of other metal ions.
According to the researchers, the cell will probably need $5 of electricity to extract 1 kilogram of lithium from seawater. This means that the value of hydrogen and chlorine produced by the cell would end up offsetting the cost of power, and residual seawater could also be used in desalination plants to provide fresh water.
NGOs Call For Stoppage Of ‘Cruel’ Hwange Coal Project
THE community of Dinde is lobbying African governments and those of other countries to help to force the Zimbabwean government to respect their constitutional rights.
This is a Chinese-owned investment company, Beifa Investments is forcing 600 families out of their homes, to make way for a coal-mining project.
Human rights activist and the director of the Centre for Natural Resource Governance, Farai Maguwu told the Mail & Guardian that the centre wants China to stop financing coal projects in Africa and the one in Dinde, Zimbabwe in particular.
“The people must be respected, especially their right to live on their ancestral land without being harassed. Chinese finance should support renewable energy, which has the promise of great results for the people and the environment,” Maguwu said.
The action by the centre, a coalition of several NGOs and trade unions, is aimed at preventing the risk of major pollution and a looming environmental threat, should Beifa Investments be allowed to mine coal in the area, which is in northwest Zimbabwe, close to the Zambian border.
“The major risk is pollution of the Nyatuwe River, the only source of water for humans and livestock [in Dinde]. Due to [the] politicisation of minerals the Environmental Management Act is now ineffective, hence they [the government] can’t be trusted with enforcing environmental regulations,” Maguwu said. “Beifa Investments also intends to construct a 270-megawatt power plant which significantly affects air quality in Dinde.”
According to Maguwu, the coalition is planning to submit a petition to the Zimbabwe Mines Ministry, and international NGOs and media are paying great attention to the developments in the case.
“The Dinde case is also casting a spotlight on mineral governance in Zimbabwe, how the ruling elites are entering into personal, corrupt deals with fly-by-night investors,” Maguwu said. “Because these deals are for personal benefit, there is no consultation with people. To deal with resistance, the ruling elites are also abusing state security to intimidate and harass local communities. This is a growing concern.”
Beifa Investments has proposed relocating the people of Dinde from their ancestral land, which had stirred many conflicts. However, the coalition says any possible relocation will have to be agreed to by the community first.
“The challenge is the precedent set in Marange, eastern Zimbabwe, where the government displaced 1 300 families to pave [the] for diamond mining. The moment the government and companies succeeded in moving the families off their land they broke all the promises they made before the displacement,” said Maguwu.
Neither Beifa Investments nor the Zimbabwean Ministry of Mines responded to questions from the M&G by the time of publication.
Q1 gold output down 30% — report
ZIMBABWE’S total gold production in the first quarter of the year declined by 30 percent to 4,3 tonnes compared to 6,1 tonnes in the same period last year.
The yellow metal is one of Zimbabwe’s major foreign currency earners. Gold is expected to contribute US$4 billion to the US$12 billion the mining sector is expected to earn annually by 2023.
According to the first quarter Treasury report released last week, the decline in gold output was attributed to subdued productivity by artisanal and small-scale miners.
“Gold output during the first quarter stood at 4,311 tonnes compared to 6,152 tonnes produced in the same period in 2020 and 4,794 tonnes in the last quarter.
“The decline was mainly as a result of fall in production from artisanal and small-scale gold sector,” said the report.
Large scale miners produced about 2,3 tonnes.
“Large scale producers delivered about 2,291 tonnes during the first quarter of 2021 which is 11,2 percent higher than what was produced during the same period in 2020 while artisanal and small-scale gold sector delivered 1,586 tonnes, about 55,6 percent below the production of the same period in 2020, reflecting leakages through smuggling.”
Overally, the report stated that performance of the mining sector was mixed while on one hand, firm international prices and resuscitation of closed mines improved the performance of the mining sector.
“There were major drawbacks from a number of factors such as unstable power supply, heavy rains, which culminated in the flooding of shafts, working capital challenges and subdued demand for some minerals.
“Overall, platinum, diamonds and coal performed better than the previous quarter while gold, chrome and nickel suffered some declines,” it said.
During the first quarter, platinum output stood at 3,369 tonnes, a five percent decline compared to 3,544 tonnes produced during the same period in 2020.
However, this level of output slightly surpassed production for the previous quarter by 1,3 percent.
Going forward, platinum output is projected to improve as one of the major producer resumes production at the closed mine while other mines are also undertaking efficient enhancing measures.
During the period under review, nickel output stood at 3,284 tonnes and this was 16,6 percent and 22,1 percent below output produced in the comparable period in 2020 and in the previous quarter (Q4 2020), respectively.
“Reduced nickel output reflects low throughput from both primary and secondary producers.
“Output from the primary producers was 25 percent lower than the first quarter production in 2020.
“Similarly, this level of output was 44 percent lower than what was realised in the preceding quarter.
“The decrease in nickel output was against a surge in prices by about 39 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2020 and 10,4 percent above the last quarter of 2020,” said the report.
Diamond production increased by 15 percent to 702 639 carats in the first quarter of 2021 from 611 331 carats produced in the same period in 2020.
The increase in production was registered from only two producers that were operational during the first quarter of the year with Treasury saying the output could have been higher if all players were producing.
“Furthermore, production was also driven by opening of the world economy and strong demand particularly from China.”
During the quarter under review, coal production stood at 596 753 tonnes compared to 462 140 tonnes produced during the same period in 2020. Producers were mainly constrained by delays in payments for coal deliveries, which adversely impacted on coal mining activities.
“Furthermore, production was also affected by limited absorption capacity during the first quarter due to non-operation of most of the units, which saw three producers also cutting back output as there was no off taker for thermal power,” said the report.
Following onset of the second wave Covid-19 pandemic during the first quarter of 2021, it said chrome production receded to 300 926 tonnes from 353 669 tonnes for the same period in 2020 and 311 495 tonnes in the fourth quarter of last year.
Of the chrome ore produced, about 74 percent was beneficiated and value-added and disposed as high carbon ferrochrome (HCF) while only 26 percent was sold as raw chrome.
“This is due to the favourable prices of HCF that prevailed during the quarter compared to those of raw chrome.
“Meanwhile, chrome producers have started modernising equipment and refurbishing their furnaces in order to boost production in response to increased demand in markets such as China and firming up of prices,” it said.
49 years since the Kamandama Mine Disaster
Yesterday marked 49 years since the Kamandama Mine disaster at Hwange Colliery where 427 miners lost their lives.
The disaster remains the worst mine disaster in the country’s history and every June 6, commemorations are held to honour the 427 miners who perished in 1972 at the Colliery’s Kamandama Mine Disaster.
A Golf Tournament is held before the commemorations to raise funds towards the cause, but this year it was not held due to Covid-19.
According to the Hwange website, the Wankie coal mine disaster took place on 6 June 1972 when a series of underground explosions occurred at the Wankie No.2 colliery in Rhodesia (now known as Zimbabwe).
Historical records established that the accident was caused by an underground methane dust explosion and despite the several attempts by the then PROTO teams to rescue mine workers, the fatality of the disaster was such that the mine shaft had to be sealed off.
The disaster took place at the Wankie No.2 Colliery in Wankie, (now known as Hwange) in Matabeleland North, when several gas explosions ripped through the mine. It was initially believed that more than 470 miners were trapped, but the number was lowered after the owners found a number of people had shown up for work.
Eight men were pulled alive from the mine after the initial explosions. Two new explosions on 7 June poured clouds of poisonous gas into the 4.8KMs of tunnels, making further rescue attempts impossible.
On June, 9 1972 the then general manager of the Wankie colliery, Gordon Livingstone-Blevins, decided to leave the 424 bodies where they were. Three bodies had been recovered after the initial explosions.
A mass memorial service took place on 11 June at a nearby football stadium, where a crowd of about 5,000 people paid tribute.
Hwange has gone though tremendous transformation since then and in 2018 President Mnangagwa signed several investment agreements with China.
Hwange Units 7 & 8 Thermal Power Station expansion which will add 600 MW to the national grid is one of the mega projects.
Prioritise safety as Zim commemorates Kamandama disaster
Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Mine Workers Union (ZDAWU) celebrates the Kamandama disaster educating mine workers about safety concerns and regulations, the union’s General Secretary Mr Justice Chinhema has said.
Rudairo Mapuranga
The ZDAWU General Secretary said his union was joining the rest of the country in remembering the lives lost at the mine.
“We join the families and all mine workers in Zimbabwe in remembering this day.
“We are very much on the ground educating mine workers about safety concerns and regulations.” He said.
Former Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Mashonaland West Provincial Chairperson Ms Chiedza Chipangura said miners have the responsibility to prioritize safety.
“6 June 2021 markets 49 years after the Wankie Colliery Mine Disaster. 427 lives were lost. If it happened then it can happen again today. But we have the responsibility to mitigate. Make Mine Safety a Priority,” Chipangura said.
The Hwange coal mine disaster took place on 6 June 1972 when a series of underground explosions occurred at the Wankie No.2 colliery. With 427 fatalities, it remains the deadliest mine accident to date in the country’s history.
The disaster took place at the Hwange colliery when several gas explosions ripped through the mine. It was initially believed that 468 miners were trapped, but the number was lowered after the owners found a number of people had not shown up for work.
On 9 June, the general manager of the Wankie Colliery, Gordon Livingstone-Blevins, decided to leave the 424 bodies where they were. Three bodies had been recovered after the initial explosions. A mass memorial service took place on 11 June at a nearby football stadium, where a crowd of about 5,000 people paid tribute.
“This has cast a gloom over the whole country,” Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith said during the service.
Ex-Wenela workers: Govt steps in
THE Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare has started engaging its South African counterparts to facilitate the compensation of Zimbabweans who contracted respiratory diseases while working in South Africa’s gold mines under the Witwatersrand Native Labour Association (Wenela).
Mine workers who were exposed to harmful substances and contracted lung diseases at the South African gold mines are set to receive compensation worth R10 000 to R500 000.
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Professor Paul Mavima told The Sunday Mail that Zimbabwe and South Africa have activated an agreement made under the two countries’ Bi-National Commission to establish a Joint Taskforce to facilitate payment of the compensation.
Beneficiaries of the payments are obliged to be tested for the respiratory diseases.
Prof Mavima said 400 prospective beneficiaries have been tested in Bulawayo so far, with the testing programme to be rolled out in all the country’s provinces.
“The Ministry of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the National Social Security Authority is conducting medical examinations and registration of potential beneficiaries for Compensation for Pneumoconiosis to facilitate claims for compensation through the Tshiamiso Trust which was established to process the claims. Initial phase has targeted three provinces, Harare, Bulawayo and Masvingo. Around 400 ex-miners and their dependents have been registered in Bulawayo through the medical surveillance programme. The rest of the provinces will be completed with lessons learnt from the initial phase.”
Ex-Wenela Miners Association of Zimbabwe president Mr Lungelwe Mkhwananzi implored other potential beneficiaries to undergo the tests.
“The Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare in partnership with National Social Services Authority (NSSA) will be testing for pneumoconiosis and silicosis, as well as registration of the ex-Wenela mine workers. The process started on May 31, 2021.
“The mobile testing and registration will be rolled out in all of the country’s 10 provinces. We are calling on all ex-Wenela workers to come forward and get tested and be registered. This exercise is being done for free,” he said.
In 2019, the Johannesburg High Court ruled that workers who contracted either Silicosis or Tuberculosis will get compensated upon receiving diagnosis.
About 10 000 ex-mine workers are expected to get the funds. The workers used to be employed by African Rainbow Minerals, Anglo American South Africa, AngloGold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Harmony Gold and Sibanye-Stillwater.