Online Reporter
George Maponga
Masvingo Bureau
A CHINESE mining firm has completed a plant to process over 300 000 tonnes of copper dump at the old Cobra Mine in Chiredzi to produce tungsten, marking a major step towards positioning Masvingo as a key producer of the strategic metal.
Tungsten, renowned for its exceptional hardness and high melting point, is widely used in electronics, aerospace technology, high-performance alloys, mining tools and defence manufacturing.
The global market, valued between US$5 billion and US$9 billion, continues to grow, although supply is heavily concentrated in China, prompting many countries to seek alternative sources.
The processing plant, built by Chinese firm Dibon Mine, is located at the Mutandahwe complex, a mineral-rich zone along the Chiredzi-Chipinge border that once housed the now-defunct Cobra Mine.
The area contains notable copper and tungsten deposits.
Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Permanent Secretary Dr Addmore Pazvakavambwa told The Herald that prospects are high for Masvingo to become a major tungsten-producing province.
“Dibon has set up a processing plant to re-treat a copper dump at the old Cobra Mine under the Mutandahwe complex, which is rich in copper and tungsten,” he said.
“Preliminary indications show that there are over 300 000 tonnes of copper dump that the investor intends to process to produce tungsten.”
He added that the plant is already undergoing trial runs before full commissioning.
“The new investors are doing a trial run of the plant before commissioning and full production. After completing dump processing, Dibon Mine will carry out further exploration to determine the size of the underground tungsten resource ahead of large-scale extraction,” he said.
The actual size and value of the tungsten deposits will only be known after exploration, and authorities say job numbers and economic projections for the operation are still being assessed.
Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Ezra Chadzamira welcomed the development, saying it aligned with the province’s strategy to make mining the biggest contributor to provincial gross domestic product.
“Tungsten production will soon start in the Chiredzi area, and as a province we are happy we will accrue more wealth from mining, which currently contributes 8,9 percent of our GDP. This will certainly rise as we ramp up exploration and open new ventures in pursuit of an US$8 billion provincial GDP by 2030,” he said.
