adminMining Correspondent
THE new platinum smelter for Shurugwi-based Unki Mine is set to create close to 100 jobs, a company official has revealed. Unki general manager, Walter Nemasasi told Business Chronicle the establishment of the new smelter was already underway and would be operational by 2018.
“The base smelter for platinum will add more than 90 jobs to the mining company. It may not be much because it’s a smelting process. It’s a contribution that will ease the current depressed labour market especially in our country where a number of experts, particularly engineers, have lost their jobs due to shutdown of a number of mining industries,” he said.
The giant mining firm has a staff complement of 1,083 and about 163 contract workers.
Nemasasi said the setting up of the new smelter will be a plus to the country’s economic blueprint, Zim-Asset.
“The new project complements the country’s blueprint, Zim-Asset.
“Employment will be created and a number of families will survive, thus adding value on the social service delivery.
“The smelter is an industrial infrastructure, which will give a facelift to the place.
“The base smelting process will develop platinum from concentrate to malter, giving us three metal products, which will then need a refinery. This process will add value to mineral,” he added.
Platinum mines in Zimbabwe are operating under depressed conditions in the wake of weakening international commodity prices and high production costs.
derick.khumalo