admina reprieve twice.
This came out when the companies’ representatives appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy yesterday.
The Chinese companies instead requested a grace period of five more years to mobilise resources to establish the plant through exporting the mineral. Their request caused an uproar among members of the committee, who felt that if they were allowed to export, the chrome resources would be finished in five years before any plant was set up.
The Chinese companies said the export ban on chrome by the Government in April this year had negatively impacted on their operations.
The Government banned the chrome exports early this year after the companies failed to meet the deadline it had set to have a smelting plant in the country as a value addition strategy.
Dewland Mining Company managing director, Mr Zhang Nianhai, said his company had about 3 000 tonnes of chrome ore which was lying idle.
“The problem is that none of the five smelting plants here have the technology to process alluvial concentrates,” Mr Zhang said. “We tried to sell our products to local smelting company, Zimasco, but they said they don’t use ferrochrome. The problem now is that we need money to pay the workers, but we can’t get it because we are not selling.”
Sanhe manager, Mr Lee Zhang, said the export ban had affected workers and their families.
“We have about 250 workers, but they are now on leave because of the ban,” he said. “We sometimes borrow money from friends and other companies for salaries, yet we are not producing. The company is still trying to earn back our investment but the ban has denied us that opportunity.”
Mr Leon Lin, who is the assistant manager at China-Zimbabwe said: “We have serious problems like capital because we will need to pay transport and for spare parts but we are not getting anything at the moment.”
It also emerged that the seven Chinese companies had acquired some of their claims from local owners.
Committee chairman, Cde Edward Chindori-Chininga (Zanu-PF), said some of the Chinese companies were not on the records of the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.
He suggested that the mining firms should consider joint ventures among themselves and establish a smelting plant for their use.
Cde Chindori-Chininga said there had been concerns about environmental degradation where the Chinese were operating.
Mutasa South legislator, Mr Misheck Kagurabadza (MDC-T), questioned working hours, benefits and salaries workers at the mines were getting. But the Chinese companies’ representatives denied the allegations saying they adhered to labour laws.
They said they paid overtime for their workers whenever they worked beyond the stipulated eight hours.
They also said they were also helping the community they were operating in by providing them with transport when asked.
Chivi South House of Assembly Member, Cde Ivene Dzingirayi (Zanu-PF), asked if the companies were promoting the indigenisation drive by buying some of their products from local producers in Zimbabwe.
The Chinese said they had sent their proposals under the indigenisation and empowerment policy of how they intended to comply with the indigenisation and economic empowerment policy.
One of them said he had ceased to be a Chinese national after he acquired Zimbabwean nationality and had been resident in Harare since 1995.
Online Reporter