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Notorious machete gang “Team Barca” kills police officer

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Notorious machete gang “Team Barca” kills police officer

A notorious machete gang that is known as Team Barca led by leaders Mike and Givy attacked police details who had been deployed at Good Hope Mine Brompton Battlefields on Saturday, leading to the death of Police Constable Wonder Hokoyo.

According to a police report, on the 27 December 2019 at around 1100 hours, Constable Hokoyo was deployed at Good Hope Mine Brompton Battlefields in the company of Costable Kamhuka, Constable Gurajena, Constable Tapfumaneyi (all male) Police officers and Constable Mwenje a female Police officer armed with FN rifles where there was a gold rush.

On 28 December 2019 at around 1400 hours, the accused persons with many others all still at large proceeded to the vicinity armed with machetes, catapults, and axes and forcefully took control of the mine shafts thereby dispersing the genuine miners who were extracting gold ore.

The Police details reacted to the accused persons, approached and fired some warning shots into the air in an attempt to disperse the accused persons but they did not take hid. Instead, the accused persons advanced towards the Police in a bid to attack.

One of the accused persons attacked Constable Hokoyo from behind and struck him once at the back of the head using a log and disarmed him leaving the Police officer with no option rather than to escape from the attack. At the same time, the accused disarmed Constable Kamhuka before he escaped from the scene after being assaulted all the body. The rest of the police officers managed to escape after noticing that their lives were under a threat.

The accused persons made a frantic chase to Constable Hokoyo and struck him all over his body using machetes and axes leaving him lying lifeless. The body of the deceased was found in a pool of blood approximately 100m away from the shafts. Constable Hokoyo later died due to injuries sustained as a result of the attack.

ZRP Battlefields was advised and attended to the scene. They also advised DRG Kadoma, Support Unit as well as CID and MFFU Kadoma who also attended the scene.

Violence in the Small-scale mining Industry has reached unprecedented levels. The Justice Minister is on record proposing Police shoot to kill violent machete gangs and his sentiments continue to seem to be a necessary move to thwart unruly elements. Some miners have welcomed Ziyambi’s stance saying its a necessary evil.

It is disturbing to note that the gangs are known (by name) for their violent deeds yet they roam the country freely. The Team Barca gang leaders Mike and Givy are well known. The team is known to brag about being untouchables as they are politically connected. One of the gang leaders known as “Kwadez” was shot and killed in Chegutu last month after a violent confrontation with the Police.

The police seem to be aware of the gang’s connections are afraid of taking action, echoing the sentiments by Minister Ziyambi that the gangs are arrested the next minute they are released. This makes the deployed officers vulnerable to attacks which may explain the hesitant behavior by the five deployed officers.

The body of the 27-year-old Constable Wonder Hokoyo was conveyed to Kadoma General Hospital Mortuary awaiting post-mortem.

 

 

Inside Zim’s dark cities … ZESA inflicts huge damage to industries

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Inside Zim’s dark cities … ZESA inflicts huge damage to industries

Intermittent power cuts this year weighed on the sluggish Zimbabwe economy, already dogged by hyperinflation, recession and a record high unemployment.

The economy has been battling continued shortages of foreign currency and local bank notes, and hyperinflation has led to declining household disposable incomes and a rapidly depreciating local currency.

Companies are reeling from the rolling blackouts that have hit the country as ZESA continues with load-shedding.

Industry players say this is the final nail in the coffin for the ailing economy.

Daily power cuts lasting as long as 18 , and sometimes 20 hours have become the order of the day after ZESA lurched into a crisis due to low generation capacity at Kariba and the failure to service its debt owed to two regional power utilities.

Also inefficiencies at the country’s thermal power stations at Hwange, Bulawayo, Munyati and Harare have worsened the situation.

The impact of unstable electricity supply in Zimbabwe, which is one of the country’s most critical challenges at the moment, has come at a time when the government is on a drive to lure investment into the country.

But there are fears that the power cuts will adversely affect investor confidence.

Manufacturing processes rely on electric machines that require power to perform the precise and repetitive tasks to increase production.

Now, the chronic shortages of electricity, is starting to damage the economy.

The costs vary from direct economic costs, indirect costs, and social costs. Indirect and social costs are equally important components when considering the impact of power interruptions.

Some mines are said to have suspended some shifts this week to avoid trapping miners underground when the electricity cuts out.

To worsen the situation, ZESA has been accused of disregarding an agreement with miners to ensure uninterrupted power supply, a situation which has cost the resources industry millions of dollars in potential lost output.

This has angered the miners who say ZESA’s failure to honour the agreement will put the economy in peril because miners are among the biggest consumers of electricity in the country and are already grappling with weak profits that could be compounded by potential output loss due to power outages of up to 40%, according to the latest survey.

They miners say if ZESA’s continued power generation problems destabilise the mining industry, the economy will feel the pinch, especially if the power crisis forces the sector to shed jobs.

The monetary authorities will also take a hit as mineral exports are one of the leading foreign currency earners for the country.

A survey conducted by the Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe through consultants Albert Makochekanwa and Caren Pindiri, all University of Zimbabwe economics lecturers, shows that mining houses, despite paying for electricity in advance and in foreign currency under the agreement, have had raw deals from ZESA.

Some miners have been cut off for up to three days a week, the survey showed. Isaac Kwesu, CEO of the Chamber of Mines Zimbabwe, said mining was a critical sector which should be spared the crippling blackouts.

“Mining requires electricity for both operations 24/7 and the safety of workers. It is very costly to have production stoppages. The safety of workers also needs to be guaranteed,” Kwesu told the Business Times.

In response, Owen Mavengere, the retail manager of the Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company, a unit of ZESA Holdings, said the power utility had prioritised the mining sector “because they have supported us to anchor electricity imports, which are very expensive”.

“We are currently engaging stakeholders for further imports. Unfortunately, where we are coming from, we nearly collapsed, but we are now back on our feet as consumers are now paying the correct tariff,” Mavengere said.

Zimbabwe, requires about 1,800 megawatts (MW) but generates less than 600MW, due to a receding water level at Kariba Dam and inefficiencies at the thermal power plants at Hwange, Bulawayo, Munyati and Harare.

To cover for the shortfall, ZESA has been importing expensive electricity from regional suppliers, mainly from Eskom of South Africa and Hydro Cahora Bassa of Mozambique.

ZESA is procuring very little from the Day Ahead Market, which is a market for trading power by regional players.

This week, the electricity crisis in Zimbabwe suddenly worsened because Eskom stopped supplying ZESA because Eskom is also battling shortages of electricity at home.

Consequently, businesses have lost millions of dollars in potential revenue, and this is threatening the viability of companies. “Some companies have closed as they can no longer afford to run on expensive generators,” the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industry told Business Times.

According to a survey conducted by the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce a fortnight ago, local companies are losing an estimated ZWL$2.5m annually in potential revenue due to power cuts.

The study investigated the impact of electricity outages on activities of the business community in Zimbabwe. Many, however, believe the electricity crisis is a result of years of mismanagement and corruption at ZESA.

Now, the ZESA’s management and the Ministry of Energy and Power Development are struggling to prescribe a formula that would extricate the power utility from the mess.

Soon after his appointment as Energy Minister in May this year, Fortune Chasi said he had signed a mega power deal with Eskom worth 400 megawatts (MW). The nation celebrated. Chasi went on to say he had signed another deal with Hydro Cahora Bassa of Mozambique. The nation celebrated again, only to learn later that the so called mega deals meant that Eskom and Cahora Bassa would only supply Zimbabwe when they had surplus. Therefore, as Eskom and Cahora Bassa have their own supply problems at home, Zimbabwe’s sorrow has continued.

The situation has left ZESA and the Ministry of Energy and Power Development wallowing in self-pity because things have not gone well. They cannot keep the lights on, leaving the economy to run on diesel-powered generators.

 

 

Business Times

Power crisis looms as Kariba Dam reaches critical levels

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Power crisis looms as Kariba Dam reaches critical levels

KARIBA Dam is left with only 1,23 metres or 8,50%  of water usable for power generation known as live water  before reaching the stipulated  minimum threshold after it further dropped by 13 centimetres this week to 476,73 metres above sea level, according to official data obtained from the Zambezi River Authority which manages the dam.

This comes after inflows from the Zambezi River that feeds the Kariba Dam, which is one of the world’s largest reservoirs that used to provide reliable electricity to Zimbabwe and Zambia, further dwindled.

Kariba Hydroelectric Power Station is designed to operate between the water levels of 475,50 metres and 488,50 metres in order to generate power.

But, water levels have significantly dropped. The situation will likely exacerbate, experts, warned Thursday.

Business Times can report that a year ago, water levels at the dam was 482,59, which represented 51,50% of capacity.

The depletion of Kariba’s waters is very troubling because if water in the Kariba Dam depletes to below the stipulated minimum threshold of 475,50 metres, it may only be used for recreation and fishing purposes because low water cause mechanical problems as it cannot turn turbines to generate electricity.

“The lake level continued receding, dropping by 13 cm during the week under review, before closing at 476,73 metres. Last year on the same date, the lake level was 482,59 metres,” ZRA said Thursday.

The rapidly declining water at Kariba Dam presents the real risk that electricity consumers could be subjected to deeper power cuts in the country. Currently, the power utility ZESA is unleashing daily power cuts lasting more than 18 hours daily, something which continues to hurt the economic revival efforts.

If the situation continues like this, the Kariba South Hydroelectric Power Plant, which is Zimbabwe’s largest electricity source with a capacity of 1 050 megawatts (MW), will be decommissioned soon. Continuing to drain water by generating power poses the risk of depleting the reservoir and jeopardizing chances of getting power from it next year as it may not be able to build sufficient stocks to support significant power output until April next year when Zambezi River’s flow starts peaking strongly.

This is because 80% of water flows into Zambezi is from Angola, DRC and Zambia, among other catchments in the north of the flood plains. The remaining 20% is from Zimbabwe, which has only two rivers which supplies water into Kariba namely Sanyati and Gwaai rivers.

Water from the north passes through the barotse plains or wetlands, which suck huge amounts of water first and eventually release into the Zambezi River when saturated at the peak of the rainy season around February and March.

Usually, a strong flow of the mighty Zambezi River is noticed in Victoria Falls, which is about 120 kilometres upstream, in around March or April of each year, meaning that Kariba Dam receives its optimum inflows around May, with the dam’s water levels reaching optimum levels around June.

Kariba South Hydroelectric Power Plant is generating less than 200MW due to low water levels caused by a severe drought.

Zimbabwe, last year, commissioned an additional 300MW at Kariba, its biggest investment in electricity in more than 25 years_Business Times

ALROSA and ZCDC establish a joint venture

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ALROSA and ZCDC establish a joint venture

ALROSA and Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) signed a number of agreements to finalise the creation of a joint venture for prospect and exploration works for primary diamond deposits in the Republic of Zimbabwe.

A shareholder agreement and a JV establishment agreement were signed by Sergey Ivanov, ALROSA CEO, and Killian Ukama, Eng., a Non-Executive Board Chairman of ZCDC.

According to the agreements, ALROSA owns 70% of ALROSA (Zimbabwe) Limited JV, Zimbabwean state-owned diamond mining company gets 30%.

“We are focused toward productive prospecting and exploration for primary diamond deposits in the Republic of Zimbabwe. Signing current agreements allows us to form the company’s administration and to initiate procedures required to get necessary permissions and licenses. Getting authorization and first prospecting special grants, JV will be ready to operate. Being a member of the Responsible Jewellery Council, World Diamond Council and Diamond Producers Association, ALROSA complies in full with industry commitments on responsible business practices and its own corporate standards. ALROSA is committed to following these principles strictly while working in the Republic of Zimbabwe”, Sergey Ivanov said.

ALROSA established an affiliate company ALROSA (Zimbabwe) Limited in December 2018. In July 2019, ALROSA and ZCDC signed a memorandum of agreement to transform it into a JV for prospecting, exploration and, in case of success, mining of primary diamond deposits in the Republic of Zimbabwe.

oil prices rise

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oil prices rise

Oil prices rose yesterday, buoyed by a potential breakthrough in the Sino – US trade war and OPEC-led efforts to constrain supply, although trading was quiet as many markets were in holiday mode.

Brent crude was up 16 cents, or 0,2 percent, at $67,36 a barrel by 0155 GMT.

West Texas Intermediate was up 20 cents, or 0,3 percent, at $61,31 a barrel.

“Oil prices continue to show year-end strength supported by a combination of definitive progress on the US – China trade deal, the December OPEC/OPEC+ agreement, and slowing shale activity,” said Stephen Innes, chief Asia market strategist at AxiTrader. All of which is pointing to a stronger performance for oil prices in Q1 than anyone had thought only two months ago.”

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he and Chinese President Xi Jinping will have a signing ceremony for the so-called Phase 1 agreement to end their trade dispute that was put together earlier this month. — Reuters.

Gold rise

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Gold rise

Gold prices rose above the key $1 500 mark to a near two-month peak yesterday, as uncertainty around the signing of the ‘phase one’ trade deal between the United States and China boosted safe-haven flows into the metal.

Spot gold rose 0,3 percent to $1 503,02 per ounce by 0513 GMT.

Prices hit their highest since November 5 earlier in the session at $1 n503,87. US gold futures were up 0,2 percent to $1 507,40 per ounce.

“The data was weak before Christmas from the US and we haven’t seen anything signed or concrete yet in terms of the phase one trade deal . . .  so the market is unsure whether that will come true,” said Brian Lan, managing director at dealer Gold Silver Central in Singapore. — Reuters.

Norton Miners send a message to ED

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Norton Miners send a message to ED

On Friday Norton Miners Association chairperson Privilege Moyo and women’s affairs executive, Pamela Muringai handed a gift of a stone sculpture to the president of Zimbabwe Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa to appreciate the support he gives to the mining sector and his faith that the economy resuscitation is through the Mining industry.

Rudairo Dickson Mapuranga

According to the Norton Miners chairperson, it is a symbol of all small scale and artisanal miners in Zimbabwe. Its aim is to remind the President of the challenges faced in the small scale and artisanal mining sector.

Moyo also said that its an image of the success story of the small scale sector, as the sector, has contributed significantly to the nation fiscus.

“Wherever the president will place that stone gift he will always see an image of all artisanal and small scale miners across the country, the challenges they face every day, in remembrance of various comrades in mining who died due, machetes gangs, mine accidents and sickness related to mining.”

“The final is the success and contributions made by ASM to our country.” Said Privilege Moyo.

The Norton Miners according to Moyo also gave the stone sculpture gift as a sign to assure the president that miners in Norton are geared to support the president’s vision of turning Zimbabwe into a mid-income earner by 2030.

“Also to show that the miners are geared up for the countries vision 2030 to make mining contribute towards middle-class economy,” said the Norton Miners chairperson.

Top nine gold rich African countries

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Top nine gold rich African countries

These are the top nine gold-rich African countries.

1. Ghana

This country is now known as Africa’s top producer of gold. It equally has a number of mines located in different places which re-actively involved in gold mining. Let’s look at some of them below.

Taekwa Gold Mine

This is one of the largest gold mines in Africa. Its operations are run by Goldfields. The mine resource capacity of gold for the mine goes up to 15.3 million ounces. And in its reserves, the estimated amount of the resource is about 9.9 million ounces of gold.

Chirano Gold Mine

This mine is operated under open pit mining. It is located in the western part of the country, with an approximate distance of 25 miles to the south of the Bibiani gold mine. Operations of the mine began in the year 2005 by Red Back Mining, which later handed over to a subsidiary company known as Chirano Gold Mine Limited. The gold production of the mine stands at 3,800 kilograms per year.

Nzema Gold Mine

The mine’s location is in the southern region of Ghana on the Ashanti Gold Belt. The mine is under the management of Endeavor Mining Company, with its mineral resource standing at about 33.7 million tons of 1.3g/t grade.

Iduapriem Open Pit Mine

The mine is located about 15 miles south of the larger Tarkwa mines in the western part of Ghana. The mining activities are under the two major operations namely, the Teberebie and the Iduapriem operations, respectively.

Obuasi Underground Mine

The mine is found in the Obuasi within the region of Ashanti. It is also important to note that, this mine happens to be among the 10 largest gold mines in Africa. The mining activities date back to 1897, by AngloGold Ashanti. The mine is also regarded as the oldest there is in Ghana, where it concerns gold mining.

The Wassa Open Pit Gold Mine

The mine is run under open pit mining. It is located about 45 miles northeast of Tarkwa, with an estimated distance of about 120 miles from Accra in the Birimian Province. The mine is believed to host about 20 million troy ounces of gold reserves, and has been operational since the early 1990s.

Apart from the mines stated to be active in Ghana, there are several others which are under construction in order to maximise the production of gold in the country. Additionally, small-scale artisanal miners prospect for small amounts of gold all throughout the country. The mineral resources in this country are not just exceptionally rich, but also very vast and cover a large area.

2. South Africa

Recently toppled by Ghana our Southern Neighbor is long been known to be the largest producer of gold in Africa. Its operations in gold mining begun in the 1880s when gold was first discovered in Witwatersrand area in the Gauteng Province. This discovery led to a gold rush in the area; as a result many more places were discovered for gold mining. Such mines that followed after include the following.

The East Rand Mine

The gold mine is found in Boksburg, a city located in the eastern part of Johannesburg. It is one of the deepest gold mines in Africa, about 11,700 feet deep. This mine has been operational since 1893 with very high production of gold of about 80,000 ounces per year. But it has experienced some reduction in gold production over the years.

The Tau Tola Mine

The mine is found in Carletonville, yet another high-quality gold producing mine. However, the mine is shallower than the East Rand Mine. It is located in the vicinity of Johannesburg just like the East Rand Mine. It has been conducting mining activities since 1962, producing about 190,000 ounces of gold each year.

The Kloof Mine

The mine is in Westonaria, yet another famous place known for gold mining. But its operations are anticipated to cease by the year 2033 due to some challenges faced with mining in the region. But before that time can come, the mine has a huge potential to continue being among the top gold producing mines.

3. Tanzania

Amazingly, this country also hosts a number of gold mines worth taking note, as it stands a huge potential to continue being among Africa’s leading gold producers.

Buzwagi Gold Mine

This gold mine has been the second-largest open-pit gold mine in the country. It is located in the Shinyanga region on the southeast part of Kahama. Its operations are run by Acacia Mining when it was commissioned in 2009. And five years later, the mine was able to produce about 719,000 ounces of gold.

Bulyanhulu Gold Mine

The mine runs operations through underground mining. Its location is about 40 miles south of Lake Victoria in Shinyanga region. Likewise, the Acacia Mining Plc. also runs its operations. The mine is expected to remain operational up to 2016 due to its gold availability potential.

Geita Gold Mine

This is another famous gold open pit mine. It is located about 15 miles southeast of Lake Victoria in the District known as Geita. The operations of the mine are managed by the company, AngloGold Ashanti while producing reasonable amounts of gold annually.

Golden Prive Gold Mine

This is yet another open-pit mine, with its operations being undertaken by Resolute Mining Limited. It is found in the region of Tabora, within Nzanga District. Prospecting activities for the mine began as early as 1989, before the actual official commencement in the year 1999.

North Mara Gold Mine

The gold mining operations are done through open pit and underground mining. The mine is found in the northern part of Tanzania, in Tarime District of Mara region. Its operations were first initiated by Acacia Mining in 2002.

4. Mali

In this country, there are basically three major mines that must be known where it concerns gold mining.

Morila Gold Mine

This mine’s location is about 150 miles from Bamako in the south. There are two major operations undertaken in this mine, namely open pit and underground operations, which are managed by Randgold Resources.

The Sadiola Gold Mine

This is an open-pit mine located in the region of Kayes. It is jointly managed by three entities namely, AngloGold Ashanti, LamGold and the government of Mali.

Yatela

This is another open-pit mine found in the region of Kayes. Its location is about 20 miles north of the Sadiola and its mining activities began in 2001. The mine is also jointly managed by LamGold, AngloGold Ashanti and the government of Mali, respectively.

Mali is definitely poised to grow substantially over the next decades. The mineral resources are vast and have been underexploited.

5. Burkina Faso

This country is also among the countries known to produce gold, in various locations. This is another country with vast gold-bearing areas that have not been exploited to any large degree as of yet. Below are some of the major mines that account for most of the current gold production.

Kalsaka Gold Mine Project

The mine is located in the capital city of the country, about 40 miles northwest of Ouagadougou. The mine is believed to have about 6.5 million metric tons of gold, of which the grade is anticipated to be 1.6g/t grams per ton gold, as well as 2.7 metric tons of 1.2g/t gold grade. The mining operations are conducted by Banlaw Africa Limited.

Youga Gold Mine

It is located about 140 miles to the southeast of Ouagadougou, the capital city. The operations of the mine are jointly managed by the government of Burkina Faso with the shareholding of 10% and the Etruscan Resource, holding the rest of the shares.

Taparko-Boroum Open Pit Gold Mine

Its location is approximately 150 miles northwest of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital. The mine began its operations in 2007 with a production capacity of about 4,400 kilograms of gold per year.

Essakane Gold Mine

The mine is located along the boundary of Sano and Oudalan provinces, which are about 250 miles northeast of the capital city. Its operations commenced in 2010 with a number of expansion projects finishing in 2013.

Inata Gold Mine

This is yet another gold mine operated under a joint venture between the government and Avocet. The mine began its operations in 2009, and its estimated mineral potential can take it up to 2027. The mineral resource for the mine is approximately 4.2 million ounces of gold with an average grade of 1.2 grams per ton.

6. Zimbabwe

Our country has been known for gold mining since the 13th century when the local settlers could extract the mineral from hills within their catchment areas of the kingdom. The following are the some of the mines hosted by the country.

Freda Rebecca

Freda Rebecca is the largest gold producer in Zimbabwe. It’s located close to Bindura’s Trojan Nickel mine, 90km north of Harare.

Freda-Rebecca mines 3,000 tonnes of ore and removes 8,000 bank of overburden on an average every day. The mine poured its first gold in April 1988.

Sabi Gold Mine

The operation of the gold mine is known to have begun in the year 1890. The mine is located in Zvishavane district, Midlands Province in Zimbabwe. Its operations were first acquired by the Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation in 1984 and later taken by its subsidiary, Kimberworth Investments. Underhand stopping method has been known to be the major way used to extract gold in this mine.

RioZim

Rio Zimbabwe, a diversified miner owns two gold mines which are Renco Mine and Cam and Motor Mine in Kadoma.

The Renco Mine is 100% owned by RioZim Limited. The mining rights are held through mining claims, a mining lease and a special grant covering a total area of 2 736 hectares. The mine is located in the South-East of Zimbabwe in Nyajena communal lands, approximately 75km southeast of Masvingo.

The Cam and Motor Gold Mine is the second project in Rio Gold’s operations. The mine is located in the Kadoma area of Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe covering an area totaling 1, 151 hectares.

Jena Gold Mine

The mine is located in Nkayi of Zimbabwe, a District in Matabeleland on the northern part of the country which is about 75 miles west of Kwekwe town. The mining operations for gold extraction include the shrink stopping method and the underhand benching long hole open stopping method. This mine is known to process about 450 tons of gold ore.

Blanket Gold Mine

This mine happens to be one of Zimbabwe’s biggest gold mines. Its location is about 10 miles southwest of the city known as Gwanda, the headquarters of Matabeleland the south Province located about 400 miles from Harare the capital of Zimbabwe. The mine is run by Caledonia PLC, and produces about 45,500 ounces of gold per annum. It is also anticipated that the production is likely to rise to 80,000 ounces by the year 2020, although that may be hindered by Electricity challenges the country is facing.

7. Guinea

This country also can’t be left out when one talks about gold mining in Africa. Although the country has few active mines, many others are still developing. Thousands of small-scale miners pan the rivers using primitive methods to recover fine gold. Below are some of the major mines in the country.

The Lero-Karta Gold Mine

The mine carries out its operations in the northern part of guinea. The major method used in the production of gold in this mine is called the heap leach process. The mine is said to produce about 13.7 metric tons of gold of 2.6g/t grade

The Kart Open Pit Mine

This mine is also located in the northern region of guinea, a short distance from the Lero Mine. It is estimated to contain about 185,000 tons of gold with 4.6g/t grade.

The Siguiri Gold Mine

The mine is located within the confinement of Siguiri District in the northeast part of Guinea, the District in which the mine is found, is right on the bank of Niger River, the mine produces an approximate amount of 250,000 ounces of gold per year.

The Kiniero Gold Mine

This mine is located in the central part of Guinea, which is about 350 miles towards the northwest of Conakry. The annual production for the mine stands at about 60,000 ounces of gold, with its resource about 5.07 tons at an average of 3.12g/t grade.

8. Ethiopia

In the country of Ethiopia, not much of gold is produced. However, it is among the top ranking countries striving to increase gold production. Civil unrest over the past decades has limited serious interest by large mining companies to operate within Ethiopia. This is starting to change though, and there is great potential for serious mining in this country in the coming years. Its major active mines include.

Lega Dembi Gold Mine

This mine is located in the southern part of the country in Sidamo Province. The production of gold for the mine stands at 5 tons, per annum. Its operations are managed as a joint venture between the government and Midroc Company.

Tulu Kapi Gold Project

This one is located in the western part of the country, toward the border with Sudan. The mine’s operations are undertaken by Nyota Minerals Limited, producing about 5 tons of gold annually.

The other potential sources of gold in Ethiopia include the Sakaro region and Greenstone belts located in the northern and western parts of the country.

9. Cote d’Ivoire

In this country, gold production is equally not as much, but it is ranked among the leading gold producing countries in Africa. It is said that there are several areas that have not been explored yet for gold mining in this particular country, yet has the potential to produce more gold. Its proximity to Ghana makes many believe that there are likely some large gold deposits that have yet to be found. Below are some active operations in Cote d’Ivoire.

The Tongon Gold Mine

It is located about 34 miles away from the border between Cote d’Ivoire and Mali. It is known as the largest gold mine in the country. It covers about one square mile, owned by Randgold Resources while carrying out operations through the subsidiary, the Societe Des Mines de Tongon. The mining operations are estimated to run up to 2021.

The Angovia Gold Mine

This mine is located about 25 miles from the city of Yamoussoukro. The mine is managed by the Cluff Gold which began its operations in 2009, leading to the production of about 20,000 ounces of gold per year.

The Bonikro Gold Mine

This is another gold producing mine, which is located nearly 150 miles northwest of Abidjan, the capital of Cote d’Ivoire. Newcrest are the owners of the mining operations, producing an average of 150,000 ounces of gold annually when it was established in 2008.

Top ten gold producers in the world

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Top ten gold producers in the world

These are the top gold producers in the world.

1. China

Mine production: 400 MT

Once again, China was the largest producer of gold in the world, mining 400 metric tons (MT) in 2018. The country has now held its top position for over a decade. China’s production dropped by 40 MT in 2018, and the decrease is thought to be the result of increased environmental regulations.

According to the World Gold Council, China was the main engine of growth in 2018, despite witnessing a slowdown in Q4 as the trade war with the US and slowing economic growth rate weighed on demand and gold jewelry buying slowed last year as demand decreased by 3 percent.

See also Top ten gold producers in Zimbabwe 2018

2. Australia

Mine production: 310 MT

Gold production in Australia had another high-performing year, reaching 310 MT in 2018, up from 300 MT in 2017.

Recent exploration activity in the Pilbara region of Western Australia has renewed interest and helped increase the country’s consistent gold output. While the Pilbara region is typically best known as one of the world’s largest producers of iron ore, the region is currently in the midst of increased gold exploration thanks to a major discovery in 2017 by Novo Resources and Artemis Resources.

3. Russia

Mine production: 295 MT

Russia was once again the third-largest producer of gold in 2018, with its output increasing from 255 MT in 2017 to 295 MT last year. Additionally, the country plans to increase output over the next decade or so.

In 2016, it was reported that Russia is planning to raise its annual gold production to 400 MT by 2030. According to the US Geological Survey, Russia’s gold reserves stand at 5,300 MT, just under South Africa at 6,000 MT and Australia at 9,800 MT.

4. United States

Mine production: 210 MT

US gold production dipped slightly in 2018, falling from 240 MT to 210 MT. Most gold in the country was produced at more than 40 lode mines, several large placer mines in Alaska and a number of smaller placer mines in the Western US. The top 26 operations in the country were responsible for 99 percent of American gold output.

An assessment of US gold resources revealed that there are approximately 33,000 MT of gold in identified and undiscovered resources. Additionally, close to one-quarter of the gold in undiscovered resources can be found in porphyry copper deposits.

5. Canada

Mine production: 185 MT

Gold production in Canada rose marginally in 2018, allowing the nation to maintain its status as the fifth largest producer of the yellow metal.

Last year, the country reported an output of 185 MT of gold compared to 180 MT in 2017.

6. Peru

Mine production: 145 MT

Peru saw a slight decrease in gold production last year, with output slipping from 151 MT in 2017 to 145 MT in 2018. The country saw its lowest level of production and exports in 2014 and has since made a slight recovery.

That said, illegal gold mining continues to be a struggle for the country and has been responsible for the devastation of land, including patches of the precious Amazon forest.

7. Ghana

Mine production: 130 MT

Ghana once again became a top 10 gold producing country when in 2018 it produced 130 MT of gold, up slightly from the output of 128 MT in 2017.

It is also worth noting that Ghana recently took the top spot as Africa’s largest gold producer. Moreover, the country hosts more estimated reserves than key gold-producing countries such as Peru.

8. Mexico

Mine production: 125 MT

Mexico is another gold producer that saw a production increase last year, knocking South Africa out of the 8th spot to claim it for itself.

While Mexico was plagued by underwhelming gold prices and maturing gold mines that caused production challenges in 2017, the country was able to increase its gold production from 110 MT to 125 MT in 2018. Today, gold and silver account for more than 50 percent of the country’s total metals output.

9. South Africa

Mine production: 120 MT

South Africa’s gold production decreased in 2018 compared with 2017, falling from 137 MT to 120 MT last year. The country’s gold output has fallen 85 percent since 1980, but it has been one of the world’s top gold producers for decades.

In recent years, South Africa has been hit with political strife, mostly due to conflicts between the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) and gold producers in the area. AMCU has held many protests and strikes at several gold and platinum mines within the last two years in the hopes of garnering more wages and stopping any merger between companies in which the union believed job loss would ensue.

Despite this, South Africa is currently estimated to have the world’s second-largest quantity of gold reserves at 6,000 MT.

10. Uzbekistan

Mine production: 105 MT

Uzbekistan comes in tenth on the list of the largest producers of gold. The country produced 105 MT of gold in 2018, up slightly from 100 MT in 2017. The country’s Muruntau gold mine is one of the largest open-pit mines in the world. Uzbekistan has been producing from old mines for quite some time and has not seen much exploration investment.

Source: Investing news

Ziyambi off-side on shoot to kill

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Ziyambi off-side on shoot to kill

Minister Ziyambi’s remarks have attracted criticism of the legal spectrum who said that the idea to give the police power to shoot might create another genocide like Gukurahundi.

In an audio-recorded interview with VOA, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi said that the government has instructed the police to shoot notorious machete gangs.

The Minister reiterated that the notorious machete wielding criminals have become a treat to public security as a result measures are being taken by his ministry and the Ministry of Homes Affairs to enable the police to shoot the gang when need be.

Minister Ziyambi has said that the gangs are a terrorist group that deserves to be killed without fear in the same way Osama Bin Laden was killed.

“Even in America terrorists are killed, machete criminals are terrorists, I talked to the Minister of Homes Affairs for the police to shoot them,” said Ziyambi.

Minister Ziyambi also said that the government of Zimbabwe is working towards denying bail to all machete wielding criminals because they would threaten their victims not report.

“The people called Mashurugwi will be arrested, we will deny them bail because they would threaten their victims after bail application,” he said.

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