$7m gold refinery plant opens in Kwekwe

Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
A Chinese firm has invested $7 million in a gold refinery plant in Kwekwe in a move meant to buttress the value addition and beneficiation of mineral resources.

The plant was set up by Ming Chang Sino Africa Mining and was commissioned by Midlands Mining Engineer, Engineer Tapererwa Paskwavaviri last week.

Eng Paskwavaviri said the refinery plant had the capacity to produce 1,000 tonnes of refined gold per hour.

“The plant has Chilean Mills and a weigh bridge and took a year for the investors to complete the project,” he said.

Eng Paskwavaviri said the plant will also assist small-scale miners in and around gold-rich Kwekwe.

He said Ming Chang Sino Africa Mining had plans to set up another state-of-the-art gold processing plant in Shurugwi.

“What these investors are doing is to provide affordable processing costs. They provide transport for the miners and also give them loans. They’re going to set up another $10 million plant in Shurugwi with similar functions,” said the provincial mining chief.

Eng Paskwavaviri said the company had 140 employees adding that the number was going to increase as soon as the plant in Shurugwi was opened.

He said the investors had also brought in mining equipment to be leased to miners.

Mineral beneficiation and value addition form the core of the government’s economic blue-print, Zim-Asset.