Mining firm waits on Govt to resume operations

Business Reporter
Mutare-based miner DTZ-OZGEO Limited’s alluvial mining operations are still in limbo following Government’s directive this year to ban all alluvial mining activities citing fears of environmental degradation and contamination of water.
The company is still in the dark despite its consented efforts to engage the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Environment, Water, Tourism and Hospitality to plead help to reverse EMA’s decision as the decision has impacted negatively on its operations, DTZ-OZGEO public relations manager Ms Ngwenya said in an interview.

She said close to 500 workers have been made redundant with the firm losing monthly average production of between 20 and 30 kilogrammes of gold.

Mrs Ngwenya said operations of the gold mining division were still on hold pending Government directive.

“EMA stopped the company’s operations under the instruction that DTZ must concentrate on rehabilitating the environment it operates in before fully commencing work.

“Since the time we appeared before Parliament we are yet to hear from them and at the moment no operations are taking place on our gold mining portfolio,” said Mrs Ngwenya.

The joint venture company is also involved in diamond mining. DTZ-OZGEO has already set up an ore processing plant worth about US$25 million in Chimanimani.

“At the moment work is being done at the processing plant in Chimanimani but we are producing at a small capacity,” said Mrs Ngwenya.