Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
EXCITING times are here for artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) as new technology aimed at increasing production – 10-beater gold hammer mill – that can do 2,5 to three tonnes per hour, has been availed by a Gweru-based foundry, Midlands Metals.
The gold hammer mill is much smaller than the conventional stamp mill or Ball Mill.
It uses either an electric motor or a diesel engine and for that reason a small scale miner can use it anywhere in gold production.
The machine is portable and therefore can be moved from one mining site to another without hustles.
Artisanal and small scale miners are aiming at contributing US$4 billion to the targeted goal of turning the mining sector into a US$12 billion economy by 2023.
The 10- beater gold hammer mill was exhibited at the ongoing Midlands Show which kicked off at Gweru Show grounds yesterday.
The show, which is running under the theme ‘Focus, Innovate and Attain Sustainable Economic Development’, will end on Sunday.
In an interview at Midlands Metals exhibition stand yesterday, the company sales and marketing manager Mr Ignatius Dhege said as a ferrous and non – ferrous manufacturer they were there to make mining easy for miners in the country.
“Exciting times are here for artisanal and small-scale miners as we have introduced new technology aimed at increasing gold production. We now have a 10-beater gold hammer mill that can do 2,5 to three tonnes per hour.”
“Our hammer mills include the M6, the M12 and the M350 hammer which respectively mill 1 ton per hour, 1.5 – 2 tons per hour and three-four tonnes per hour.
We have two models of jaw crushers; the LD Jaw Crusher has a capacity to crush 1,3-two tonnes per hour, while the HD Jaw Crusher which has a capacity to crush 4,5-eight tonnes per hour. We thus have machinery for the new starter as well as those requiring higher capacity. This means the miners can push volumes in a short space of time,” he said.
Mr Dhege said the type of plate on their hammer mills is thicker than others meaning they are durable.
“So what it means is if you buy machinery, you can replace disks and not the shell which is cost effective. The hammer mills beaters can do three tonnes per set. So we match affordability with quality,” he said.
Mr Dhege said they were cognisant of the envisaged US$12 billion mining sector economy by 2023, hence their innovations were aimed at making it easy for miners wherever they will be operating from.
“As you know 70 percent of gold supplies to Fidelity Printers is coming from artisanal and small scale miners and it is through these machines that we are producing. So we are mainly for the mining sector in line with the targets being made by the Second Republic which is eyeing a US$12 billion economy under mining. We are also in the production of grey iron products, bronze, brass, alluminum products and cast iron products as per customer specifications,” said Mr Dhege.
He said the engineering side of Midlands Metals is always looking at ways and means of making mining easy.
Recently, Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Polite Kambamura said Zimbabwe is on course to achieve the Government’s US$12 billion mining industry target by 2023.
Deputy Minister Kambamura said Zimbabwe was halfway through regarding achieving the set targets, pointing out that the gold mining sector in general had blossomed over the last few years.
Online Reporter