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Zimbabwe

CIA Factbook
Political rights and civil liberties (Freedom House)
Travel and accommodation

Source: CIA Factbook

Maps and images

"Zimbabwe mining firms to be forced to transfer majority stakes to locals and government"

"Zim law big blow to mining"

Antimony

Zimbabwe used to produce antimony as a by-product of its gold mining operations.

Chrome

Click HERE for an overview
  • Zimbabwe Mining and Smelting Company (ZIMASCO) produces high carbon ferrochrome from mines and smelters in Shurugwi, Mutorashanga and Kwekwe. Sinosteel Corporation agreed to buy Zimasco Consolidated Enterprises Ltd, the holding company for Zimbabwe's largest ferrochrome producer, for an undisclosed amount, Sinosteel said in September, 2007.
    Zimasco produces 210 000 tonnes of high carbon ferrochrome annually, accounting for about 4 percent of global ferrochrome production, said its website.
    State-owned Sinosteel and Zimasco inked the deal on September 19, following preliminary agreements earlier this year, according to the Sinosteel website.
    Sinosteel has been one of China's more proactive state-owned firms in investing overseas. It has invested in iron ore mining and exploration in Australia, plans to build a steel mill in India, has uranium exploration ventures in Australia and Niger and has entered a ferro-chrome joint venture with South Africa's Samancor Chrome.

Coal

Click HERE for an overview

Copper

Click HERE for an overview

Diamond

Click HERE for an overview

Zimbabwe's diamond industry commenced with the discovery of alluvial diamonds in 1903 followed by the discovery of the first diamondiferous kimberlite pipe, Colossus, in 1907. There are more than eighty known kimberlite bodies in Zimbabwe, most discovered by Rio Tinto and De Beers. Zimbabwe's first diamond mine, River Ranch, commenced production in the early 1990's. Currently the bulk of Zimbabwe's diamond production is from Rio Tinto's Murowa diamond mine.

"Zimbabwe Government Seizes Marange Diamond Mines"

"Zimbabwe to Nationalize Diamond Mining After Gem Rush"
  • RioZim owns 22 percent of Murowa diamond mine, while Rio Tinto, the former parent company, owns the remaining controlling stake. The mine saw 2006 production down to 240 026 carats from 251 000 carats of diamonds in 2005. RioZim told shareholders the fall was a result of a weaker surface ore body and worsening power cuts. RioZim said the diamond dip had been expected. Rio Tinto, which has been in Zimbabwe's mining sector for 50 years, has spent $100m expanding its Murowa Diamonds since the discovery of diamonds 14 years ago.
    The operation, which is 77,8% owned by Rio Tinto, is capable of producing 300,000 carats/year of diamonds.
  • De Beers prospecting, includes limited bulk sampling of new kimberlite discoveries in Zimbabwe, and joint venture partners include Cratonic Resources and Masasa Mines / Somabula Ventures.
  • SouthernEra has a joint venture agreement with Rockover Resources Limited over the Tsholotsho Diamond Project in Zimbabwe and involved in early stage exploration. The Tsholotsho Diamond Project is situated in western Zimbabwe and consists of 21 granted and a further 7 under application prospecting permits covering an area in excess of 14,000 km² underlain by basement Archaean granite-gneiss of the Kalahari Craton. The Botswana/Zimbabwe border forms the western boundary of the permit area. This project area is considered prospective for primary diamondiferous kimberlite deposits and lies within what is known as the Orapa Kimberlite Track, which is a southwest – northeast trending kimberlite emplacement corridor extending from Botswana into Zimbabwe.
  • African Consolidated Resources plc said in March, 2007, that Zimbabwe's government has ignored a high court ruling to allow staff back on to the premises at the expropriated Marange diamond mine. Police guarding the mine have not let staff back on site. The government was to negotiate an agreement over the expropriaton, but had failed to do so. African Consolidated is thought to have lost up to $2m when diamonds it had produced and had on site were seized by the government and auctioned by Mineral Marketing of Zimbabwe. African Consolidated Resources announced a loss in revenues in excess of US$1 billion as a result of illegal extraction and trade activities following the company's expulsion from the Marange mine in Zimbabwe early in 2007.
    Since ACR was expelled from Marange it is believed that more than 7,000 carats valued at approximately US$1 billion have been lost as a result of diamond smuggling which allegedly involves security forces, according to local news source The Financial Gazette (Harare).
    Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC), which has started mining at Marange, has been criticized by Central Bank Governor, Gideon Gono for what are seemingly mechanized panning activities. Critics have stated that in order to derive a genuine benefit from diamond mining in Marange, ZMDC will have to employ a technical partner that has the appropriate equipment and technical knowledge.
    The dispute over the ACR diamond claims against the government now involve Amos Midzi, Mines Minister; the Mineral Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe, the ZMDC, the Mining Commissioner and Police Commissioner Augustine Chihuri.

Gold in Zimbabwe

Gold Home

Click HERE for an overview

Zimbabwe's gold output has fallen by a third to 7.5 tonnes in 2007, Bloomberg reported.
Rising output costs and delayed payments to producers by Zimbabwe's central bank are behind the declining production, the Chamber of Mines is reported as saying.
Zimbabwe produced 29 tonnes of gold in 1999.

Gold at $100 million a gramme – yet Zimbabwe production still in rapid decline (Source: Mineweb)

"Zimbabwe to Lose Exclusive Gold Rights"

"Zim gold output hits 90-year low"

"Zimbabwe: Gold Mines Close Shop"

Click HERE for Zimbabwe: Gold Mining Falls to 'Pathetic Levels' (AllAfrica)

Click HERE for Zimbabwe: Mugabe Dithers On Mining Law (AllAfrica)

Click HERE for Zimbabwe: Vast Mineral Wealth Sparks New 'Scramble for Africa' (AllAfrica)

Click HERE for a map of ZIMBABWE GOLD DEPOSITS (Geological Survey of Zimbabwe)
  • Metallon Gold Zimbabwe, owned by South African businessman Mzi Khumalo, is the country's largest gold producer, operates five mines, Shamva, Mazoe, Penhalonga, Arcturus and How, in Zimbabwe and produced 40 percent of the country's gold output of 11 000 tonnes in 2006. The company produced 140 000 ounces of gold in 2006 against a target of 160 000 ounces for the period. Two of their mines, How and Shamva, produced 66 percent of the gold. The country's largest gold mining company needs to raise $100 million to finance a new opencast mine project, the Redwing Mine, in Zimbabwe. Metallon's reserves have been estimated at 2,5 million oz and resources at 5,5 million oz. Metallon Gold Zimbabwe's gold output fell 50 percent to three tonnes in 2007, as the company suffered severe power outages.
  • RioTinto Zimbabwe Ltd ( RioZim Ltd) operates the Renco mine. RioZim said gold production at Renco for 2006 was 740 kg, lower than 753 kg in the previous year, hit by a 53-day breakdown of its primary mill. RioZim is on a US$120 million expansion plan to lift output, but recently, there were fresh suggestions of a government takeover after President Mugabe made remarks in a state television interview that some took as meaning government would nationalise all diamond mining in the country. RioZim chairman Eric Kahari warned in a report to shareholdersin 2006 that business at the mine would start winding down in 2009 without the planned expansion.
  • Falcon Gold of Zimbabwe (Falgold, ZSE:FALGOLD) will not open its closed gold mine because of an unprofitable gold pricing regime in the country, an executive said in February, 2007. Falgold financial director, Gary Perrotti, said the gold mining firm was not expecting to open Venice Mine in Kadoma soon because of low price and delayed payments for deliveries by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ). Fidelity Printers and Refineries, a subsidiary of the RBZ is the sole buyer of gold produced in Zimbabwe. Besides the closed Venice Mine in Kadoma, Falgold also runs Dalny Mine in Chakari and Golden Quarry Mine in Shurugwi.
  • Central African Gold plc(AIM:CAN) will acquire two operational Zimbabwean greenstone gold mining companies for $6,2m in cash and shares to add to its gold project in Ghana, Bibiani, which it acquired from AngloGold Ashanti in December 2006 for $40 m, lifting the group’s gold output to 80,000 oz in 2007. The Zimbabwean project could produce more than 100,000 oz within five years for an injection of cash of some $30m into the five opencast and underground mines and four metallurgical plants. The company is buying an 85% stake in Falcon Gold, the Zimbabwe-listed gold company, and all of the unlisted Olympus Gold Mines for a $4,5m in cash and an issuance of nine million new shares. The two cash-starved Zimbabwean companies produced 21,031 oz in the year 2006 to end-September. The JORC compliant reserves stand at 632,000 oz and there are estimated resources of 2,5 million oz. Falgold includes the Dalny mine, south west of Harare, which has a mine life of seven years at current reserves. CAR believes there is potential for the development of an open pit, low grade, bulk-mining operation within the greater Dalny shear zone. Falgold also owns Golden Quarry, an operational underground mine approximately 200 km from Bulawayo, and the Venice mine, currently on care and maintenace, but with great exploration potential.
    Olympus operates the Old Nic mine near Bulawayo with a current life of two years and owns the Camperdown mine, south east of Gweru, which has both an open pit and underground operation with a mine life of seven years.
    The two companies also hold 12,300 hectares of ground considered geologically prospective.
  • Caledonia Mining Corporation acquired the Blanket Mine in Zimbabwe from Kinross Gold Corporation of Toronto. Mineral Reserves total 3,2 million tonnes with an average grade of 4.24 grams per tonne and contain 439,600 ounces of gold. Blanket Mine currently mills 600 tonnes per day of underground ore at a grade of 4,1 g/t and produces 2,100 ounces of gold per month. Blanket Mine is part of the group of mines that make up the North Western Mining camp otherwise also called the Sabiwa group of mines. What is today referred to, as Blanket Mine is a cluster of mines extending from Jethro to the south, through Blanket itself, the currently defunct Feudal, AR South, AR Main, Sheet, Eroica and Lima. In addition dormant old showings include Sabiwa from the south, Jean, Provost, Redwick, Old Lima, and Smiler.
  • African Consolidated Resources plc is exploring the Giant and Pickstone-Peerless mines which historically produced approximately 1 million ounces of gold from high-grade underground operations. The two projects currently contain near-surface JORC resources of 820,500 oz, much of which is expected to be open-pittable using modern mining methods.
  • Mwana Africa plc bought the Freda Rebecca Mine (FRM) from AngloGold Ashanti in April 2005. The Freda Rebecca Mine is located near Bindura, approximately 90 km north east of Harare. It was originally started by Cluff Resources before being sold to Ashanti Goldfields. The mine was opened in 1988 and designed for the production of 100,000 oz of gold a year. It produced on average over 100,000 oz of gold a year from the late 1990’s up to as recently as 2002. Since then its output has severely declined. The Freda Rebecca Mine contains 1,076,000 oz of gold in resource grading 2,4 g/t of which 354,000 oz are proven and probable reserves grading 2,6g/t.
    The mine is currently producing about 30,000 oz of gold a year, but a program is in place to refurbish the mine to bring production back towards 100,000 oz of gold a year. There are exploration properties in the region of FRM which could extend the life of the mine beyond its current 10 year estimate. Mwana’s Inez Mine, which was purchased by African Gold in July 1995, is 25 km east of Kadoma in the gneissic-granites terrain south of the Chiqatu (Hartley) greenstone belt and 120km south of Harare. The mine has been on care and maintenance due the local economic environment since 2004. A refurbished plant and an underground development program could produce 20,000 oz of gold a year.
  • CanAfrican Metals and Mining Corporation acquired a 100% interest in the Indirama Mining Lease located in the central Zimbawean gold belt. The Indirama Mining Lease is a consolidation of more than 18 historical gold mines and showings. It consists of 56 claims and covers 16 square kilometers. Current surface infrastructure consists, among other things, of two mills rated at 600 tonnes per day and 120 tonnes per day and other associated recovery facilities. The mines are fully permitted both for surface and underground mining and for expanded operations. The property was worked in the 1990s by Consolidated Trillion Resources Ltd. (now Viceroy Exploration Ltd.). That company produced from some of the mines on the property and carried out a substantial amount of diamond drilling that formed part of the basis for tonnage and grade calculations. These calculations were done using the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy definitions, which are essentially the same as 43-101 definitions but with more detail. It includes an open pit reserve of 5 million tonnes grading 2,05 g/t Au and the total resource estimate exceeds one million oz. Consolidated Trillion Resources terminated its interest in the property in 1999 due to very low gold prices. The mines have been on care and maintenance since then. Currently there are 120 men on the site operating a 600 tonne per day tailings leach plant.

Nickel

Click HERE for an overview (MBendi)
  • Mwana Africa plc acquired a controlling stake in Bindura Nickel Corporation from Anglo American Corporation of Zimbabwe in July 2003. Bindura is listed on the Zimbabwean Stock Exchange. Bindura operates two nickel mines: Shangani which is 100 km from Bulawayo on the Harare road and Trojan which is near the town of Bindura, about 100km north east of Harare. Both mines produce concentrates which are processed at the smelter and refinery at Bindura. Bindura produces about 11,000 tonnes of refined nickel per annum of which about 7,000 tonnes are own production and the balance is toll material from Botswana and South Africa. The mine lives at Shangani and Trojan are currently estimated to be approximately four years and nine years respectively (52,440 t proved and probable reserve and 210,950 t measured, indicated and inferred resources.) The Trojan shaft is currently being deepened by some 600 metres to access new reserves which are open at depth, which potentially will extend the life of the mine for up to 10 further years. The Shangani mine is open at depth to a limited extent and a study is currently underway to determine how best to extend the shaft system to access its additional resources. Bindura has also completed a feasibility study on the Hunters Road claim, between Kwekwe and Gweru, which will extend the mine's lifespan to 2022. Hunters Road has up to 30 million tonnes of ore.

Platinum

Note on the geology of the Great Dyke in Zimbabwe
笔记关于伟大的堤的地质在津巴布韦

Source: Implats

The Great Dyke in Zimbabwe is a layered complex that extends for 550 km and has a maximum width of 11 km. The stratigraphy is broadly divided between a lower ultramafic and an overlying mafic sequence. The ultramafic sequence hosts the P1 pyroxenite, directly below the mafic-ultramafic contact, which, in turn, hosts the economic PGM-bearing main sulphide zone (MSZ). The MSZ is generally 2 m to 3 m thick.

  • Impala Platinum mine in South Africa
  • Marula Platinum mine ( 87,5%, Tubatse Platinum and the Marula Community Trust-15%, Mmakau Mining -7,5%) in South Africa
  • Mimosa mine (50%) (Zimbabwe)
  • Zimplats (86%) (Zimbabwe)
  • Total reserves, as all categories of mineral resources: 215,100,000 oz
  • The company has plans to boost production to 2,3 million oz by 2010 and by another 500 000 oz per year of platinum beyond that.
  • Zimbabwe Platinum Mines Ltd (Impala) [ASX:ZIM] mines inZimbabwe and produced 86,800 oz in 2005
  • Reserves, proved and probable, of 14,100,000 oz platinum
  • Resource of 140,800,000 oz platinum at a grade of 3.52 g/t.
  • Zimbabwe Platinum Mines commissioned a new underground mine at Ngezi under phase one of its ambitious US$258 million long-term expansion programme at the end of April 2007. The underground mine, named Bimha Mine, is expected to increase ore production to 4,5 million tonnes per year and boost platinum output to about 160 000 ounces annually when it comes into full production in 2009.
    In addition, Zimplats will produce 130 000 ounces of palladium, as well as significant quantities of gold, nickel and copper.
  • Kroondal Mine (South Africa)
  • Marikana Mine (South Africa)
  • Mimosa Mine (50%) (Zimbabwe)
  • Chromite Tailings Retreatment Plant (South Africa)
  • Everest Mine being established, planned production 225,000 oz per annum (South Africa)
  • Total reserves, proved and probable, 3PGE+Au: 9,410,000 oz
Mining mogul Rautenbach to develop Zim's third largest platinum mine (Source: Mineweb)

Uranium

There is a known uranium occurrence at Kanyemba (sandstone, tabular).
  • Omegacorp had entered into a joint venture with the Zimbabwean company, Lowenbrau Mining Services to explore the Kanyemba uranium deposits. Terms agreed under the deal were to the effect that Omegacorp would have a majority shareholding in the project. Sources in Zimbabwe have revealed that Lowenbrau Mining Services is owned by Robert Zhuwawo, a nephew of President Mugabe while Omegacorp - which had staved off the competition of eight other companies - is believed to have had the backing of Apollo Group, an Australian resource based investment and corporate advisory firm at the time of bidding. When awarding Omegacorp the deal last year, Zimbabwe's Mining Affairs Board announced that it had carried out an assessment and research into OmegaCorp and that the board had ultimately cleared the Australian company for the joint venture with Lowenbrau. However in an interview with an international news publication, Zimbabwe's Mines And Mining Development Minister said that the Zimbabwean government had decided that the mining of uranium be vested in a state-owned company. "Uranium is a strategic resource and only government can mine it," he said.

Posted by Carel van der Merwe at 16.4.07

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