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Zim women miners lose claims to male counterparts

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Zim women miners lose claims to male counterparts

Zimbabwe’s female miners say their operations are being targeted by their male counterparts who are chasing them away from their claims.

They also claim they are not getting any protection from the authorities.

Mthandazo Women Miners Association Trust founder and chairperson Sithembile Ndlovu told Business Times: “Most women miners are now living in fear of losing their claims and their lives. We do not have any protection and some of our members are losing their claims. To make matters worse stakeholders in the mining sector do not communicate effectively with women in mining.”

Ndlovu said women miners were also struggling to pay statutory fees.

The Zimbabwe Miners Federation vice president, Lindiwe Mpofu, said the sector was appealing for government support and protection as women were being pushed out of the sector by men.

“The main challenge that women are facing is that our society is patriarchal and women who venture into this male-dominated industry do not get the support that they need,” Mpofu said.

“There are still a lot of issues that women still have to overcome within the industry.”

She said the closure of borders has halted the importation of machinery which has affected output.

Female miners, Ndlovu said, were also struggling to access foreign currency for operations.

“There is a dire need for access to foreign currency to continue with our operations,” she said adding that Nedbank and CBZ Bank have assisted the miners.

“But, we still need more banks that are integrated into it. This would help us have more access to foreign currency so as to acquire more capital for different miners. It is important that the banking sector looks at different programmes that they can make available to miners across the country.”

 

Business Times

Chinese mine management held hostage by workers

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Chinese mine management held hostage by workers
Fools Mine management has been held hostage by workers demanding their salaries, National Union of Mines Quarrying Iron and Steel Workers of Zimbabwe regional officer Abraham Kavalanjila has said.
Rudairo Mapuranga
The Trade Union regional officer said he was informed of the developments by workers at the mine.
“Have been phoned by workers informing me that they have locked management inside the mine premises demanding their unpaid salaries, the company want to pay $50 per employee?” he said.
The company manager Thabani Masuku confirmed that the management was held hostage by workers who were demanding to be paid their outstanding salaries.
The oddly named Chinese-owned mine has been of late in the Media for negative reasons. In February it was summoned to the National Employment Council (NEC) to answer charges of underpaying employees and failing to provide protective clothing.
One of the company Directors (a Chinese national) also led the company image to disrepute when he assaulted two employees over outstanding salaries.

Fidelity official gold buying prices Wednesday 31 March 2021

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Fidelity official gold buying prices Wednesday 31 March 2021

Fidelity Printers and Refiners (FPR) official gold buying prices Wednesday 31 March 2021

  • SG 90% AND ABOVE $48 455.45/kg
  • SG ABOVE 85% BUT BELOW 90% $47 643.35/kg
  • SG ABOVE 80% BUT BELOW 85% $46 560.55/kg
  • SG ABOVE 75% BUT BELOW 80% $46 019.15/kg
  • SAMPLE BELOW 10g BUT ABOVE 5g $47 101.95/kg
  • FIRE ASSAY CASH $48 726.15/kg

 

Cash available. Fidelity Printers and Refiners prices will be changing daily in relation to world market prices.

Contact FPR

No. 1 George Drive, Msasa, Harare, Email: [email protected], Telephone: +263 242-486670, +263 242-486694, +263 242-487131, +263 242-447810-5

Blanket mulls US$36m investment

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Blanket mulls US$36m investment

GWANDA-BASED gold miner, Blanket says it is planning to invest US$35,8 million in plant maintenance and the implementation of its new underground operation called Central Shaft.

The massive capital outlay will also be deployed towards setting up the firm’s solar power plant, which is key to ameliorating hurdles caused by erratic electricity supplies.

Blanket Mine is controlled by the New York Stock Exchange-listed Caledonia Mining Corporation, which has announced plans to expand its footprint in Zimbabwe.

In its latest management discussion and analysis report, Caledonia said the capital expenditure commitments related primarily to materials and equipment had been ordered by the company and would be sold to Blanket.

“In addition to the committed purchase obligations set out above, Blanket currently intends to invest a further US$35,8 million in 2021 which is also uncommitted and includes US$12,4 million on the solar project and US$1,8 million on the optioned exploration properties,” said the report.

“Other than the proposed investment on the solar project and at the exploration properties, the committed and uncommitted investment will be used to maintain Blanket’s existing operations and implement the Central Shaft,” it said.

The company said committed and uncommitted purchase obligations were expected to be met from cash generated from Blanket’s existing operations and its existing borrowing facilities.

In respect of the cost of the proposed solar project, proceeds of a share offer will be used.

The company also revealed that it has leased properties for its administrative offices in Jersey, Harare and Johannesburg.

As of December 31, 2020, Caledonia had potential liabilities for rehabilitation work on Blanket — if the mine is permanently closed — at an estimated discounted cost of US$3,6 million.

Caledonia revealed that production in the year 2020 was 57 899 ounces, which was at the top end of the guidance range and was a new record for annual production.

It said the strong performance, despite the impediments arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, reflected the measures taken in previous quarters to improve tonnes mined and increase metallurgical recoveries. The company said the robust operating performance was supported by a rising gold price.

Profit for the year to December 2020 was US$46,6 million — almost 50% higher than that generated during the same period in 2019.

Caledonia said two weeks ago that it had received a major boost after being admitted to the MVIS Global Junior Gold Miners (GDXJ) Index for the first time.

The admission followed the GDXJ Index’s first quarter 2021 review.

The GDXJ Index forms the basis of various passive gold sector investment funds in the North American market, the most significant being the US$5,2 billion Van Eck Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF, Caledonia said.

Caledonia chief executive officer Steve Curtis said the listing of the company’s shares on the NYSE American had increased the miner’s liquidity significantly and its inclusion on the index should “further raise its profile among retail and institutional investors”.

“The listing of our shares on the NYSE American has increased our liquidity significantly and our inclusion on the Index should further raise our profile among retail and institutional investors,” he said.

NYSE American, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange and more recently as NYSE MKT, is an American stock exchange situated in New York City.

It was previously a mutual organisation that was owned by members. Until 1953, it was known as the New York Curb Exchange.

“The addition of Caledonia to the Index will be an important milestone for our business and will come at an exciting time for the company with the commissioning of Central Shaft due to be completed in the first quarter of this year,” Curtis added.

 

 

NewsDay

Petra Diamonds delays release of probe into human rights

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Petra Diamonds delays release of probe into human rights

Petra Diamonds (LON: PDL) has delayed the publication of an internal probe into alleged human rights abuses at its Williamson mine in Tanzania after obtaining fresh information related to the case.

The company had originally committed to provide feedback on an investigation being carried out by an external adviser, in conjunction with its legal advisers, by the end of March.
Petra now expects to release the results of the inquiry and the company’s reaction to them by the end of April.

“The company has recently obtained further additional information relating to the allegations, which will help with the preparation of its report, and this information is currently being processed by the external adviser,” Petra said in a media statement.

The announcement comes only days after UK-based corporate watchdog RAID revealed it had further evidence of alleged abuses at the diamond mine.

The non-profit organization published a new report on March 25 that included dozens of eyewitness accounts on how security guards employed at Williamson allegedly abused their power.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT COMES ONLY DAYS AFTER UK-BASED RAID REVEALED WILLIAMSON MINE SECURITY GUARDS HAD INTENTIONALLY SWAPPED RUBBER PROJECTILES WITH METAL BULLETS IN THEIR WEAPONS

Among the testimonies, a former guard said rubber projectiles were intentionally swapped with metal bullets in their weapons, causing “serious harm” to local residents shot on Petras concession.

While rubber bullets can cause serious injury, even kill, they are not supposed to penetrate, whereas “the gun pellets can enter someone’s body and stay there,” the guard told RAID. “Someone would need an operation to remove them, and if they are close to the gun, they can definitely cause death.”

Petra reacted to the report by saying it had taken a number of actions to address the situation at the mine, including the replacement of the third-party security contractor Zenith.

The diamond miner, which also has three operations in South Africa, formed in February an internal committee to oversee the ongoing investigation. The move came after UK-based law firm Leigh Day filed a lawsuit against the company in the High Court of England on behalf of 32 anonymous individuals.

The Williamson mine, active since 1940, is in Shinyanga, one of Tanzania’s poorest regions. It produced a 54.5-carat pink diamond presented to Queen Elizabeth for her wedding in 1947.

Illegal miners incursions

The Africa-focused diamond producer has said the mine had been the target of illegal artisanal miners “for some time” due to challenges in securing the large perimeter of the license area.

“This illegal mining activity is managed by the mine operator Williamson Diamond Limited (WDL) and the local government authorities on an ongoing basis,” it said at the time.

Petra has dealt with the incursion of illegal miners at its operations before. Last year, it opened up some of its Koffiefontein mine’s tailings in South Africa to small scale miners. The move aimed at tackling illegal activities and solved some issues caused by artisanal miners at the asset.

It previously carried out a similar exercise at Kimberley, in Northern Cape, where small scale miners operated “the floors” of the property — an area previously worked by Kimberley’s founding miners.

The project, kicked off in 2017, was not a success. Its then joint venture partner, Ekapa Mining, reported a year later it was still spending R3 million (about $180,000) a month in security. Petra sold its stake in the Ekapa partnership in 2018.

Mining.com

S.A investor backs local interest in gold M&As

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S.A investor backs local interest in gold M&As

Africa’s biggest fund manager and a key investor in South African gold companies said any consolidation in the sector must benefit the country as well as shareholders.

The Public Investment Corp., which manages 1.91 trillion rand ($128 billion) of mainly South African government worker pensions, has a broader mandate than purely shareholder returns, said Mdu Bhulose, portfolio manager for mining and resources at the money manager. It also considers potential job losses, the welfare of communities in which mining companies operate as well as the interests of the broader South African economy, he said. That will affect the way it assesses, proposals, he said.
Bhulose’s comments come amid speculation that Johannesburg-based Anglogold Ashanti Ltd. and Gold Fields Ltd., could be takeover targets for foreign buyers because of their relatively low valuations. Neal Froneman, the chief executive officer of South African gold and platinum miner Sibanye Stillwater Ltd., has said the three companies should combine to avoid being bought by companies based elsewhere.

“Is this going to be a value destructive deal for the country?,” Bhulose said of the PIC’s approach to potential takeovers in an interview last week. “We look at returns, but also what impact it will have for all other stakeholders.”

The PIC is the biggest shareholder in AngloGold, holding 11.9%, and the second-largest in Gold Fields with 9.6%. In Sibanye, its 15.9% holding is the biggest of any investor.

Newmont Corp., the world’s biggest gold miner by market value, has a price-to-earnings ratio that’s more than double both AngloGold and Gold Fields, highlighting the discount at which the South African producers trade.

While AngloGold and Gold Fields have shifted their focus to more profitable operations elsewhere in Africa, Australia and the Americas, they retain their primary listings on Johannesburg’s stock exchange.

“If you trade at a discount, somebody that trades at a premium is going to buy you,” Froneman said in an interview earlier this month. “AngloGold, Gold Fields and even us, we are targets for North American producers.”

Gold Fields, founded by Cecil Rhodes in 1897, runs South Deep mine, its sole remaining asset in South Africa. AngloGold, which emerged from a mining empire created by Ernest Oppenheimer a century ago, sold its last mine in South Africa last year and has been mulling moving its primary listing elsewhere.

The combination of the three companies envisaged by the Sibanye CEO could save about $160 million in corporate costs and create synergies between Gold Fields and AngloGold’s Ghanaian operations, according to analysts at RMB Morgan Stanley. The deal could be compelling to investors if Sibanye offers a premium to acquire the companies, the analysts said.

“If the answer is that you will get more from the assets when you put them together than if they are apart, certainly there is merit to that transaction,” Bhulose said. “We need to evaluate what management teams can prove on paper in terms of creating value, and how they can manage these businesses to deliver more value.”

Bloomberg News (By Felix Njini and Loni Prinsloo)

Police Acts Tough On Illegal Miners

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Police Acts Tough On Illegal Miners

The Zimbabwe Republic Police says a cumulative 27 220 people have been arrested in connection with illegal mining activities across the country since Operation Chikorokoza Ngachipere was launched two years ago.

ZRP launched the operation to end unregulated mining activities towards the end of 2019 after some machete-wielding gangs sprouted in various mining communities terrorizing innocent villagers.

Over the weekend, 136 suspects were arrested countrywide with the police urging the public to adhere to mining laws.

“Police confirms that on 27/03/21, 136 people were arrested on Operation “Chikorokoza Ngachipere/Isitsheketsha Kasiphele and No to Machete Gangs”. Since the onset of the operation, a cumulative 27 220 people have been arrested,” wrote ZRP on its Twitter account.

“The ZRP encourages members of the public to adhere to all mining laws to promote safety and security in mining areas,” it added.
Illegal mining activities have been on a rapid increase across the country due to high unemployment rate prevailing in the economy.
Sadly, most of their operations disregard the country’s mining laws and environmental management practices.

In some mining areas, rival illegal miners’ groups have clashed, leading to high rates of brutal murders.

Investigations by the ZRP show that some errant members of the force are at the forefront of these illegal mining activities in some areas.

“We have had arrests in Jumbo, Mazowe, and Shamva of illegal artisanal miners. I admit we have arrested (police) officers at Jumbo. The law will take its course,” police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi told journalists at a media training last year.

The government through the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe have been encouraging illegal miners to formalize their operations and deliver their produce to the Bank’s gold buying unit, Fidelity Printers and Refiners.

However, a combination of mistrust of government and unfavorable export surrender requirements have deterred illegal miners from formalizing operations leading to the country losing a substantial amount of money to black market sales.

263Chat

International Company Wins Contract To Upgrade Feruka-Harare Oil Pipeline

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International Company Wins Contract To Upgrade Feruka-Harare Oil Pipeline

AN INTERNATIONAL engineering and management services provider, Penspen, has been awarded a contract by Zimbabwe’s National Oil and Infrastructure Company (NOIC) to upgrade the Feruka-Harare pipeline.

Under the ten-month contract, Penspen will support NOIC’s efforts to enhance its operational efficiency of the pipeline to meet increasing petroleum products demand.

The 208km-long Feruka-Harare pipeline network, which was originally designed by Penspen, is planned to undergo operational modifications to help meet the increasing demand of petroleum products such as diesel and gasoline.

Feruka is in Mutare and the oil pipeline ends in Msasa, Harare.

Penspen will be responsible for delivering detailed engineering and procurement support services for the pipeline project, as well as establishing a ‘series pumping’ operation at different sites across the region.

However, the cost of the project could not be verified.

Penspen Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific Regions executive vice-president Neale Carter said: “This contract award is a testament to Penspen’s strong reputation and experience in Africa and we look forward to working with Petrozim on this exciting project.

“Penspen’s scope of work included in the project award demonstrates our range of capabilities in the region and beyond, as a leading provider of engineering services to the energy industry.”

The scope of the contract includes two new mainline pump-sets, piping modifications for the connection of new mainline pump-sets and two new power transformers to supply the new mainline pump-sets.

As part of the project, Penspen will also manage piping, instrumentation and metering skid modifications.

Additionally, the company will deliver electrical switchgear, transformers, switchboard, distribution board and a stand-by diesel generator with weatherproof enclosure and diesel.

Data shows Zimbabwe uses about 4 million litres of diesel and 3 million litres of petrol from an average of 1.5 million litres per day. At least 90% of the fuel consumed is transported by the Feruka oil pipeline while the remaining 10% is transported by road using tankers.

NewZimbabwe

B2Gold denied exploration permit renewal in Mali

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B2Gold denied exploration permit renewal in Mali

Canada’s B2Gold (TSX: BTO) said the Mali government had not renewed the Menankoto exploration permit, which formed a part of the Anaconda area and is located 20 kms north of its flagship Fekola mine license area.

The Vancouver-based company said that its Malian subsidiary, Menankoto SARL, had applied for a one-year renewal of the permit in early February.
“The company strongly believes that Menankoto is entitled to a renewal of the permit under applicable law and is engaged in ongoing discussions with the Malian government to clarify the situation,” B2Gold said.

The miner noted that since beginning its activities in Mali it has had a “positive and mutually beneficial relationship” with the country’s government.

Even after last year’s military coup in the West African nation, the company decided to boost output at its Fekola mine and examine other opportunities both in the country and across the region.

SINCE BEGINNING ITS ACTIVITIES IN MALI, B2GOLD HAS HAD A “POSITIVE AND MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP” WITH THE COUNTRY’S GOVERNMENT

West Africa, one of the last frontiers for gold-mining investors, is likely to remain in the spotlight as the industry consolidates, chief executive Clive Johnson told MINING[dot]COM in September during a mining symposium.

The executive noted at the time that while B2Gold planned to examine deals, it would not “overpay” for assets as strong gold prices push up valuations.

He also emphasized the importance of gold mining to Mali, which accounts for 10% of the nation’s GDP and 25% of the government’s revenue that comes through taxes and other streams.

B2Gold, which expanded the mill at Fekola last year, noted the mine is projected to produce 530,000 to 560,000 ounces of gold in 2021. The figure does not include the Anaconda area, it said.

Mining.com

Miners quake over spike in robbery cases

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Miners quake over spike in robbery cases

A GOLD DEALER in Gwanda on Monday allegedly lost US$12 000 to armed robbers in the mining town.

The attack came at a time when miners in the gold-rich province have been raising concern over the recent spike in gold-related heists.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi yesterday confirmed the robbery.

“We are also appealing to anyone with information that might lead to the arrests. At the same time, miners should be cautious in their operations,” he said.

Nyathi said police were looking for a five-member gang suspected to have robbed the miner.

However, some miners suspect that unscrupulous police officers might be behind the robberies, considering the precision and timing.

According to information shared on the miners’ WhatsApp groups, attacks on miners are now widespread.

“These groups seem to be many because yesterday in the afternoon and at Gwanda light industrial site, they robbed a gold dealer at gunpoint and went away with US$12 000,” one miner said.

Three other miners were reportedly attacked around the West Nicholson area, where at least seven suspects were arrested.

In another incident at Fools Investment Mine, robbers reportedly disarmed a guard of his .303 rifle.

Yesterday, the miners accepted an invitation for a meeting with the Criminal Investigations Department for Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit to discuss the developments.

“It is believed the armed robbers are working with some of us in the community. We hope and wish as miners we can help come up with solutions to this ongoing problem,” a miner, Philemon Mokuele, said in a notice to colleagues.

 

NewsDay

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