Mining ZimbabweLatest Mining News, Policy and Industry Updates

AN artisanal miner from Gweru has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stabbing a fellow patron once in the chest outside a bar in Mkoba Village 14 suburb in a botched robbery.

Njabulo Ngwenya (25) who resides in the same suburb, was convicted of attempted murder by Gweru provincial magistrate Mrs Phathekile Msipa.

Ngwenya who had pleaded not guilty, was however found guilty after a full trial.

In passing sentence Mrs Msipa said Ngwenya deserved a lengthy prison term in order to deter would-be offenders.

“Cases of robbery and unwarranted attacks on innocent people are on the increase and as such courts should pass deterrent sentences to protect society. You are therefore sentenced to 10 years in prison,” she said.

 Prosecuting, Mr Kelvin Guvheya told the court that on August 26 at around 1am, the complainant Mr Lucky Chigwendere (47) was drinking beer inside Tatenda bar with his brother.

The court heard that Mr Chigwendere went out of the bar to receive a call from his mobile phone. Mr Guvheya told the court that while answering his cellphone- Ngwenya approached Mr Chigwendere and stabbed him with a knife once in the chest in an attempt to rob him.

A report was made to the police leading to Ngwenya’s arrest.

Meanwhile, a 46-year- old man from Gweru has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for raping his daughter`s 11-year- old friend.

The man who pleaded not guilty was convicted of one count of rape by Mrs Msipa.

She sentenced him to 15 years in prison but he will serve an effective 12 years in prison after three years were suspended on condition of good behaviour.

Mr Guvheya told the court that on October 26 at around 11AM, the complainant who cannot be named to protect her identity, was sent by her grandmother to Mambo suburb in Gweru to go and see her father.

The court heard that on her way back the accused saw her and called her into his house.

Mr Guvheya said the accused asked the complainant to cut his toe nails before asking his daughter who was also in the room to go and buy some sweets.

The court heard that the accused took some unknown substance from a bottle and sprayed it onto the face of the complainant whose vision became poor before raping her once.

The court heard that the complainant went home crying and narrated her ordeal to her mother before the matter was reported to the police leading to the accused’s arrest_The Chronicle

Africa’s biggest oil producer is trying to get its refineries working in an attempt to wean itself off imported fuel. Yet again.

Over the past 12 years, Nigeria tried and failed four times to crank up its aging and unprofitable crude-processing plants. Now the state-run energy company is giving it another shot — a move that, if successful, could end the nation’s reliance on fuel imports. However, the country’s recent track record means there’s skepticism about the latest effort.

“For our refineries that have not been properly maintained for years, it might be easier to build a new one,” said Cheta Nwanze, head of research at SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based risk advisory.

The West African country of about 200 million people imports more than 90% of products like gasoline and diesel, swapping its prized export — crude — for petroleum products that people need in their everyday lives.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, or NNPC as the state energy company is known, operates four refineries that have long run at a fraction of their capacity.

The newest is almost four decades old. By successfully making its own fuels, Nigeria would stop being reliant on traders bringing supplies on tankers from thousands of miles away — with all the extra costs that entails.

Truly committed Mele Kyari, the newly appointed group managing director of NNPC, says this time will be different.

He’s made fixing the plants a crucial part of his agenda since taking the helm of the company in July, and says President Muhammadu Buhari is the country’s first leader in years to be committed to the revamp.

Kyari has revived a target to upgrade the plants and end fuel imports by 2023 after the company missed a previous goal for the end of this year.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Timipre Sylva said in an interview in London this month that the overhaul should be successful this time because Nigeria is asking the owners of the refinery technology to get more involved in the work.

Once the plants are operational, they will be run by external people, which will also help, he said.

The work is scheduled to begin in earnest in January, first on the Port Harcourt complex, a two-refinery facility with the capacity to process 210 000 barrels of crude a day. Repairs will then move to the smaller refineries.

Dangote boosts Some of Nigeria’s challenges to become more self-sufficient in fuel may soon be alleviated for another reason. In the next few years, a new, privately owned 650 000 barrel-a-day refinery is due to come online. In theory, it could meet all of the country’s fuel needs and have enough left over for exports.

The plant, being built by Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, is not owned by the Nigerian state though.

That means that the country would have to pay market prices — similar to those charged by traders — for the fuel the refinery churns out.

There would be little reason for Dangote to subsidise Nigeria’s domestic fuel prices if it were more profitable for the refinery to sell elsewhere.

The skepticism that state-run plants can return to full operation stems from NNPC’s previous attempts.

Efforts to overhaul its refining industry — in 2007, 2010, 2012 and 2016 — all failed to work out. The state energy company has to compete with other domestic demands for funding, such as health care, education and other social services.

Three years ago, Nigeria sought external financing for its refineries following a plunge in crude prices, oil theft and attacks on its pipelines by militants and other saboteurs.

That effort crumbled after it failed to convince investors of the viability of the venture.

NNPC is talking to the African Export-Import Bank and other financial institutions to fund the revamp.

“The money to comprehensively fix the refineries is simply not there,” said Ayodele Oni, chair of the energy and natural resources practice at Bloomfield Law in Lagos.

“It is a difficult task to attract any significant funding required for their repairs in their present state.” — Bloomberg.

COAL production in Zimbabwe is anticipated to leap to 15 million tons next year as new producers come on stream while existing ones are also expected to raise their output, a Cabinet Minister has said.

Zimbabwe boasts of huge coal deposits in Matabeleland North province where companies such as Hwange Colliery and Makomo Resources are active. Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando said production was expected to rise as several new coal mining projects were lined up.

“Traditionally we produce about three million tons of coal per annum. This year we expect that we will produce just about four million tons, but the installed capacity for coal production by next year will be 15 million tons per annum,” he said.

“We have Liberation Mining around the Gwayi area, they already have the full equipment, which has been installed (but) there have been a few administrative issues relating to their production but they will begin production in the new year.”

Minister Chitando said Government was working on developing a coal export corridor running from Matabeleland North as part of efforts to develop the coal sector.

“Initiatives for the establishment of a coal corridor and a port for exports will be intensified working together with the Ministry of Transport,” he said.

The minister said the agreement signed with Dubai-based company Victoria Consultant, would assist in boosting production and to secure coal export markets.

“The agreement with Victoria Consultant provides for it to source markets as well as capital for the expansion of coal (projects),” he said.

Zimbabwe, which started coal production in the early 1900s, has an estimated 25 billion tons of coal reserves. The country, which says its abundant mineral resources include more than 40 exploitable minerals, is seeking to maximise mineral exploitation to reboot its economy. 

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe expects to start producing sufficient electricity for domestic use and surplus for export by 2024 through the exploitation of its huge and untapped Coal Bed Methane (CBM) deposits as well as investment in new thermal power stations.

Zimbabwe has one of the highest measured CBM resources in Southern Africa and is believed to be sitting on an estimated 765 billion cubic metres in the Hwange/Lupane basins. In early 2012, Mozambique discovered CBM in areas that border Zimbabwe’s Manicaland province into which it is believed the gas also flows. 

Coal bed methane offers a cleaner alternative source of power compared to coal and the scope is even greater for its exploitation considering that Zimbabwe is battling a severe power crisis due to over-reliance on hydro power, which is affected by seasonal rainfall. 

It can also be converted into diesel, petrol, ethanol, fertilisers, aviation fuel and other products including specialist lubricants and waxes. 

Minister Chitando has said the country expects to generate electricity from CBM within the next two years while five investors, including Afrochine, Jinan and Karo Resources were also at various stages of setting up thermal power stations.

Analysts contend that CBM exploitation presents an opportunity for Zimbabwe to lessen its dependence on imported petroleum and electricity while also providing an alternative means to produce cleaner energy from coal. — New Ziana

A 500 megawatt solar project will soon be established in the Zhombe area in the Midlands province at a cost of $200 million, an official has said. 

Core Zimbabwe Mining Private Limited, one of the three companies working with Zibagwe Rural District Council to erect a number of solar plants in the area, expects to finalise legal processes by the end of this year with construction set for first quarter 2020.

Zibagwe RDC chief executive officer, Mr Farayi Machaya, said the contractor has acquired land for the $200 million investment.

“We are quite pleased with the progress made thus far by Core Zimbabwe. So far, they have managed to secure a 300 hectare piece of land, which is very crucial in this project. 

“They have managed to get the lease agreement after completion of all the necessary paperwork and procedures,” said Mr Machaya.

“I am reliably informed they have since acquired a power generation licence from relevant authorities. They have the lease agreement from the Ministry of Lands and they have also acquired a grid connection licence. 

“So, in terms of paperwork, they have covered much ground and I am sure they are now left with acquiring the power generation licence from Zera, which I am sure they will get by end of year.” 

Mr Machaya said once they get the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) done by end of the year, construction would commence.

“We are hopeful that all the necessary legal processes will be done by the first quarter of 2020 and we start construction,” he said. 

The project is expected to create about 300 jobs.

“This is in line with Vision 2030’s focus on poverty eradication and that of creating employment for our local people as envisaged by President Emmerson Mnangagwa,” said Mr Machaya.

He said the project will immensely benefit the community by supplying power to areas like Kwekwe, Gweru, Kadoma, Gokwe and Nkayi, among others_The Chronicle