Zimplats creates a better future
Alex Mhembere has been at the helm of the Zimplats team as chief executive officer (CEO), since October 2007.
Zimplats is in the business of producing platinum group and associated metals and is a subsidiary of one of the world’s leading producers of platinum group metals (‘PGMs’), the South African-based Impala Platinum Holdings Limited (Implats).
PGMs are precious metals, which frequently occur together in nature as constituents of various ores and minerals and they include platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, and ruthenium. These metals are also known as “green metals”.
Platinum and palladium are vital components in autocatalytic converters which play a significant role in controlling air pollution by reducing emissions in both gasoline and diesel engines.
PGMs are recyclable, ensuring not only a reduction in waste but also sustainability of supply. Their excellent resistance to corrosion and high melting points make them ideal metals for a variety of industrial uses.
They are used in the development of fuel cells which reduce air pollution considerably, while curtailing demand for fossil fuels.
Zimplats operates five underground mines in Mhondoro-Ngezi, which supply ore to three concentrator modules (two at Ngezi and the third one at Selous). Production from the mining operations is processed by the three concentrators and then further refined at the Selous Metallurgical Complex (‘SMC’) in Selous where the smelter is located.
Ore production in the year ended June 2021 was 7,2 million tonnes. Zimplats’ purpose
Zimplats’ purpose is to create a better future through the way it does business, the metals it produces and superior economic performance, to improve the lives of future generations.
Its vision is to be the most valued and responsible metals producer, creating a better future for its stakeholders, while its values are respect, care, deliver.
Team Zimplats
Zimplats has a workforce of 6 692 comprising 3 549 own employees, and a further 3 143 contractors.
The company strives to create a strong employee value proposition (EVP) which aims to address compensation and benefits, career, work environment and culture issues. These factors are core to creating an enjoyable and caring workplace with a sound wellness programme, that includes mental health, and an environment, which also offers real growth opportunities to the team.
Safety critical to Zimplats’ work culture
The promotion of a safe and secure working environment for all workers is central to the way in which Zimplats does business.
The company strives to create a healthy and safe work environment for its employees, contractors, host communities and other stakeholders.
To this end, the company has implemented and maintained international standards and is certified to ISO14001:2015 (Environmental Management System), ISO9001:2015 (Quality Management System) and ISO45001:2018 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System). These standards provide a framework for sound occupational health and safety and environmental management.
Commitment to creating shared value for all our stakeholders
Zimplats’ commitment is to create long term shared value for all its stakeholders in a systematic manner. The company accepts the importance of sustainable development and embraces the sustainable development goals in a bid to conduct its business as a responsible citizen.
Its strategy on social performance aligns with its purpose of creating a better future for its stakeholders through the way it does business and the positive contribution it makes to society.
Zimplats focuses its investment in social development initiatives on education and skills development and on local enterprise, socio-economic and infrastructure development.
Community development initiatives are carried out within the context of the overall Zimplats business strategy which emphasises the importance of engagement, its values of care and respect, and in managing stakeholder expectations, with emphasis on those areas that affect the social licence to operate.
Zimplats and the Sustainable Development Goals
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) provide guidance on how business can contribute effectively to sustainable development. The challenges highlighted by the UN SDGs led to an agreement on a common approach to addressing economic, social, and environmental concerns. Zimplats utilises the SDGs to establish an effective framework to promote sustainable development.
As a mining company, Zimplats is driven to create value in a manner which ensures that communities are in a better position than they were historically. Alignment to the UN SDGs assists in prioritising those goals and targets that the company believe are most important to its business and which create value for its stakeholders.
Local supplier development
Zimplats continues to establish and review its value chain system to create value for stakeholders whilst also positively impacting the community and the environment through various capacity development programmes. The company, since 2013, has implemented a structured Local Enterprise Development (LED) programme to capacitate and grow local small and medium enterprises (SME’s) through inclusive procurement practices.
The programme currently has 22 LEDs who positively impact communities through job creation, skills development, investment in local infrastructure, and the overall establishment of thriving and healthy mine communities. The aim is to bring efficiencies associated with proximity for services, especially labour and other locally available materials such as river sand and quarry stones for construction purposes thus reducing costs and delivery times. Services offered to LEDs by Zimplats to enhance their performance include training, capacity development, engagement, commercial and technical.
Underpinning Zimplats’ approach to local enterprises development are four fundamental principles:
. Sustainability: Going beyond compliance to support the development of thriving local communities, enabling their businesses to grow and develop markets beyond Zimplats.
. Economic enablement: Zimplats is committed to creating shared and sustainable value in local communities thereby promoting economic growth, employment creation, poverty eradication and improvement of quality of life.
iii. Sound governance: Sound business principles and good governance underlined all transactions.
Key is development of capacity to attain quality, delivery, service, business management systems and other technical requirements.
. Partnerships: Zimplats works in collaboration with major suppliers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), government, communities, and development institutions to create an enabling environment for local enterprises development. The objective is raising the standards of business processes within the LEDs to align with the Zimplats’ way of doing business and core values of care, respect and deliver.
Communities and social development initiatives
Zimplats is committed to effective social development. The company’s vision in this regard is to contribute towards the creation of sustainable livelihoods through self-sustaining and inclusive host communities by 2030.
The creation of shared value for all its stakeholders is a guiding principle for how Zimplats does business. The company’s success is intrinsically linked to the extent to which it creates value for its stakeholders, upholding the values of respect, care and deliver. Equally driven by these values Zimplats is committed to proactive engagement of all its stakeholders to unlock value creating relationships.
Protecting the environment
Zimplats recognises and acknowledges that mining and processing operations have a potential to adversely impact the immediate and indeed the global environment in which we operate. It takes a risk-based management approach that actively seeks to avoid, minimise, and mitigate negative environmental impacts throughout its operations and in all its processes. Zimplats subscribes to the principle of sustainable development which states that any development must meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The company has an environmental management system (EMS) built on the ISO 14001:2015 framework.
The framework is designed to facilitate the attainment of the following objectives:
Ensuring compliance with environmental legislation and other non-statutory requirements
Promoting responsible water stewardship by minimising water use and water pollution
Responding to climate change risks and opportunities and promoting responsible energy management
Minimising negative impacts on air quality
Managing and minimising waste streams
Promoting responsible land management and bio-diversity practices Zimplats strives to integrate environmental management into all aspects of the business with the aim of achieving sustainable world class environmental performance.
The Sunday Mail