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George Maponga in Masvingo
A newly minted US$60 million chrome smelting plant in Mashava has created more than 120 direct jobs for locals and is being touted as a game-changing investment in the mineral-rich town.
Zimbabwe Zhongxin Smelting Company, a Chinese firm, completed construction of the plant that is set for commissioning before the end of this year.
The plant is a boon for small-scale chrome miners in Mhandamabwe, Chivi and Masvingo who were facing challenges in selling their chrome.
Mashava has very huge chromite deposits and hundreds of small-scale miners have been earning a living from extracting the mineral for sale.
Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Ezra Chadzamira said the construction of a chrome-smelting plant by Zimbabwe Zhongxin dovetails with the rural industrialisation agenda.
“The new chrome smelting plant in Mashava is a boon for thousands of small-scale chrome miners who were facing challenges to access a market and now they have somewhere nearby to sell their chrome. This development is also in line with Vision 2030 and the rural industrialisation drive being pursued vigorously by President Mnangagwa’s administration,” he said.
Besides being a ready market for chrome, the Zimbabwe Zhongxin plant is also benefitting youths and women in and around Mashava who also supply silica, a metalloid that is crucial in the smelting process.
Mashava had virtually become a ghost town after the closure of Shabanie-Mashava Mines (SMM) around 2007.
SMM used to mine asbestos but the area is also rich in other minerals such as chrome, gold and manganese.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu