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ZMF Mashwest leader impressed by miners in Kadoma

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ZMF Mashwest leader impressed by miners in Kadoma

Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Mashonaland West Provincial chairperson Mr Timothy Chizuzu praised the small-scale miners in Kadoma for showing dedication to the growth and development of artisanal and small-scale mining.

Rudairo Mapuranga

In an interview with Mining Zimbabwe after the ZMF Mashonaland West Executive fact-finding mission and solution inclined mining visits to see the growth and development of small scale mining in the province the initiative which was pioneered will see the executive led by Mr Timothy Chizuzu (chairperson), Mr Johannes Sithole (Treasury) and Ms Glady’s Hwami visiting mines across the province in order to establish an acceptable and standard small scale miner in Zimbabwe. Chizuzu expressed excitement over the performance of small scale miners in Kadoma stating that their work shows that small scale mining is the future of Zimbabwe.

Chizuzu called for the proper structuring, monitoring and regulation of small-scale mining saying it has proven to have the potential to emancipate many people from poverty.

He said it was important to bring together academics, industry players and students to brainstorm on illegalities associated with the mining of gold and other minerals and how technologies could be used to control such activities.

“I’m happy we have managed to visit some of the small-scale mines in Kadoma Mashonaland West Province, I’m really impressed with how they are doing their work and I have seen that as small-scale miners we have a future,” Chizuzu said.

Speaking to Mining Zimbabwe earlier this year, RioZim Chief Geologist Mr Patrick Takaedza said the country was not supposed to entirely depend on micro mining as artisanal miners are not capable of mining deep with low-grade mining being of significant challenge to them.

He said that many small-scale miners would not afford exploration leading their mining activities to be unsustainable.

“Exploration is a very expensive and risky business which the small-scale miners have no capacity to undertake. The big companies who have that capacity will not invest in 10ha size claims for the simple fact that such a small area will never hold significant resource to recoup investment or produce for a couple of years”

“Recent thrust in exploration is to find deposits that are subsurface without any surface expression which the small-scale miner has no capacity to find”.

“Exploration diamond drilling costs approximately US$100 per metre. This means that EPOs focus on long term sustainability of the mining industry while small scale miners are just focused on near-surface, less than 100m reefs which sooner or later will get depleted and exhausted”

“Production will need to be replaced by deeper reefs or much lower-grade deposits and neither of these is attractive to the small scale. Artisanals will never sustain the mining industry because of these two simple facts. They can’t mine deep and they can’t mine lower grades’’ Takaedza said.

However, Chizuzu said miners in Kadoma have proven that small scale miners can really sustain the economy of Zimbabwe because some are beginning to mine low grades and affording to mine over 50 tonnes of gold ore a day.

 “Some of the small-scale miners are mining as low as one gram per tonne because they are pushing volumes, some are mining up to 4000 tonnes. My appeal to government and other stakeholders is that we need to support the sector so that it benefits much to the economy of Zimbabwe” Chizuzu said.

Chizuzu took over the reins of ZMF Mashonalandwest in June this year after a landslide win at a colourful ceremony held at Oddsey in Kadoma.

Chinese company that pegged a whole village operating illegally

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Chinese company that pegged a whole village operating illegally

The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) says it is yet to receive an environmental impact assessment report from Heijin Mining Company, a Chinese mining company, which is on the verge of displacing several villagers from their ancestral land in Uzumba Maramba-Pfungwe.

On 2 September 2021, Tinashe Chinopfukutwa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) wrote a letter to the Mining Commissioner for Mashonaland East province and to the Environmental Management Agency seeking explanations regarding the existence of a prospecting licence authorising Heijin Mining Company to peg the village so as to conduct mining activities.

This came after villagers engaged ZLHR as they were at the risk of losing their homesteads, farming fields and grazing land to Heijin Mining Company.

In the letter, Chinopfukutwa said in the event that a prospecting licence was granted to Heijin Mining Company, then the pegging of Kaseke Village is unlawful as a holder of a prospecting licence shall not exercise any of the rights conferred in terms of the prospecting licence on communal land without the consent of the occupier.

The human rights lawyer stated that the pegging of Kaseke Village without consultation and the consent of the occupiers of the land is unlawful and that in terms of Section 31(1)(h) of the Mines and Minerals Act, no holder of a prospecting licence can proceed to peg communal land occupied as a village without the written consent of the Rural District Council of the area concerned.

Chinopfukutwa asked if any Environmental Impact Assessment was conducted in relation to the mining project and to be furnished with an Environmental Impact Assessment report and a copy of the certificate approving the prospecting and pegging of Kaseke Village by Heijin Mining Company.

However, in response to the request by ZLHR, Juliet Mavu, EMA’s Provincial Environmental Manager for Mashonaland East province, disclosed that Heijin Mining Company is yet to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment report for its intended mining project and therefore no Environmental Impact Assessment Certificate has been issued out to the miner.

The Environmental Impact Assessment report is an instrument that is relied upon to identify and assess the potential environmental, social and health impacts of a proposed project, evaluate alternatives, and design appropriate environmental and social management plans during the lifecycle of the project.

Mavu said EMA received a prospectus for the proposed Kaseke and Chibvi 2 black granite mining, cutting and polishing plant in Uzumba Maramba-Pfungwe District from Heijing Mining on 29 June 2021.

Newsday

NEC rates of pay for the Mining Industry July – December 2021

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NEC rates of pay for the Mining Industry July – December 2021

The National Employment Council (NEC) for the Mining industry has published the rates of pay for the period July 2021 to 31 December 2021.

The new minimum rates of pay for grades 1-13 were agreed upon in dual currency (US Dollars & ZW Dollars) by the Associated Nine Workers Union of Zimbabwe and the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe, on 28 September 2021.

DOWNLOAD MINING INDUSTRY PAY RATES HERE

ZCDC shines at Zimbabwe CEO’s Network awards

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ZCDC shines at Zimbabwe CEO’s Network awards

Zimbabwe’s largest diamond producer, Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) last month shined at the Zimbabwe Executive Officers network awards after grabbing two accolades.

Anerudo Mapuranga

The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Mark Mabhudhu won the Outstanding Public Sector Leader award whilst the company’s Public Relations Manager Mr Sugar Changonda won the Public Relations Executive award.

Musician Plaxedes Machuma (popularly known as Plaxedes Wenyika) was the guest of honour at the colourful awards.

Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Mary Mliswa-Chikoka attended the occasion in which her sister Ms Nomhle Maggie Mliswa was among the winners in outstanding women in the business category.

Among other notable winners, there was Gweru businesswoman Dr Smelly Dube who also won the best outstanding leader in business award.

This year, Mabhudhu was crowned Eastern Region Megafest CEO of the year Platinum award for his outstanding business leadership.

Mabhudhu was honoured for his innovative leadership style -supreme business excellence and high standards of ethical conduct, integrity, civic and social responsibility.

Mabhudhu has over 28 years of experience in the mining industry locally and internationally.

Mabhudhu started his career in 1990 at Rio Tinto Cam Dump Gold Retreatment Plant as a metallurgical student on attachment where he performed metallurgical test-work and material balance schemes.

He also had an opportunity to familiarize with the Empress Nickel Refinery and learnt the entire business value chain of the operations.

He later joined Lomagundi /Alaska Smelting and Refinery (Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation), again on attachment.

In 1993, he was employed by Auridiam Zimbabwe (Pvt.) Ltd – River Ranch Diamond Mine for three years where he designed and built, commissioned and optimized the plant.

Between 1996-99, he moved to BHP Zimbabwe (Pty) Ltd – Hartley Platinum Mine as a Process Metallurgical Engineer where he built and commissioned the Hartley Platinum Complex including the Concentrator plant, Smelter and Refinery plants, optimized the Concentrator plant and ramped production to full capacity He recruited, trained and developed plant personnel across the plant operations. He rose through the ranks to plant superintendent level.

He then joined Debswana Diamond Mining Company – Jwaneng Mine in  1999– April 2009 where he built, commissioned and optimised the state-of-the-art diamond processing and recovery plant.

While at Jwaneng Mine, he obtained a full understanding of the entire value chain into diamond valuation, as well as the cutting and polishing industry.

He rose through the ranks from mineral process engineer to the technical process manager and finally strategy executive of the organization.

Mabhudhu was appointed the inaugural CEO of PAASOL Resources Zimbabwe (Pty) Ltd in August 2009 – 2010 and ratified by the Board of Directors to provide leadership and direction of this start-up organization.

In 2010, he moved to Marange Resources (Pvt) Ltd. where he rose through the ranks to become acting CEO between 2014 –2015.

In 2018, he went on to join Vast Resources PLC – Diamond Business as a Consultant/Executive Director in charge of directing and leading the firm’s aspirations of becoming a prominent mining house in the country as well as internationally with particular focus on diamonds and setting up the Zimbabwe mining operations.

In September 2018 , Mabhudhu re-joined ZCDC as the substantive Chief Executive Officer with the sole responsibility of repositioning the diamond company into a profit-making entity in line with shareholder and stakeholder expectations.

Mabhudhu has a BSc (Hons) Engineering – Metallurgical from the University of Zimbabwe in 1992 and was awarded a Book Prize (Top Student), Postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies from the Buckinghamshire Chilten’s University College in UK (2000) and a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) at the same University in 2001 where he was also awarded Top Student Prize. He has a Master of Philosophy in Information and Knowledge Management (MIKM) from the University of Stellenbosch (RSA) (2008) and is currently undertaking a Doctoral study in Business Administration (DBA) with the University of Pretoria’s Gibs Business School (Thesis final stage).

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.

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