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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
VICE-PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has warned the Zimbabwe Mining and Smelting Company (Zimasco) and Zimbabwe Alloys Company (ZimAlloys) to use the chrome claims they have across the country or risk losing them.
Addressing a gathering to mark the official opening of Dazzle Superstore in Kwekwe on Friday, the Vice President said Zimasco and ZimAlloys had chrome ore reserves throughout the country, which he said were not being utilised.
He said following the recent lifting of the ban on chrome exports by the government and the opening up of chrome markets in China, there was a need to maximise on all ore reserves in the country.
VP Mnangagwa said in that regard, Zimasco and ZimAlloys should, henceforth, effectively use their chrome ore reserves or risk losing them.
“Zimasco and ZimAlloys have chrome ore reserves across the country and we’re saying use it or lose it. If they don’t use the chrome ore reserves we’re going to take them away and give players willing to exploit the natural resource,” he said.
VP Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe had huge chrome ore reserves, which he said would take many years to extinguish.
“We’ve identified markets in China who want chrome and we’re going to assist even the small-scale miners to reach that market,” he said.
The VP said the government lifted the ban on the export of chrome ore and volumes of up to 30 million tonnes will be exported to enable the sector to mobilise financial resources and invest in technology.
Chrome ore exports were banned in 2011 to promote value addition.
Mines and Mining Development Minister, Walter Chidhakwa, recently said a threshold of up to 30 million tonnes of chrome ore would be subjected to review based on desired developments in the establishment of additional smelting capacity in the country.
“The ban on the export of chrome ore negatively affected all small-scale chrome ore producers, who lost their economic ventures and livelihoods. In addition, the ban on the export of chrome ore didn’t create opportunities for smelters to invest in new technology for expanded value addition and beneficiation,” said Minister Chidhakwa.
He said in order to assist chrome ore producers to operate viably and to allow them to create investment capacity in smelting, the government had decided to reduce electricity tariffs to 6,7 cents per kilowatt hour for chrome from 8,0 cents with immediate effect.
Online Reporter