Chronicle Editor
MANAGING Director of Duration Gold Limited, Allan Dolan, yesterday paid a courtesy call on the newly appointed Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Dr Evelyn Ndlovu, and expressed confidence that Vubachikwe mine will be out of the woods soon aided by the sound wisdom and guidance the new minister brings to the office.
Duration Gold also runs Athens Mine in Mvuma, Royal Mine in Filabusi and Gaika Mine in Kwekwe.
Vubachikwe mine was closed following illegal industrial action, and has since started on a path of reopening under a workout plan that, when funded, will involve capacitating the mine and breathing new life into it.
“We simply came to congratulate the incoming minister for the appointment as well and pledge to work with her able office as we pursue the goal of reopening the mine. We are cognisant that while she is still yet to familiarise herself with the portfolio and the Vubachikwe story, her expertise and rich curriculum vitae point towards someone who will be instrumental in helping us attain our goal.”
A seasoned economist and economy builder trained both at home and in Eastern Europe, Dr Ndlovu is a champion of sustainable development and management, skills that will no doubt see her becoming a leading mind in Duration’s intention to reopen Vubachikwe and have it scale and even surpass previous heights.
“The complexities of reopening Vubachikwe are for a sound and astute economic mind of the minister’s calibre and as result we are delighted to have her lead the province and we have no doubt that coupled with her intense passion to have Vubachikwe reopened for the good of both the community and the nation, this fresh union will no doubt bear fruit.”
Mr Dolan expressed that while there are other players in the road to reopening Vubachikwe as well as other stakeholders, it was imperative to ensure Minister Ndlovu was the first person the leadership met in order to emphasise the importance of homegrown solutions that are shaped by homegrown leadership such as Minister Ndlovu.
“A courtesy call at ‘home’ in Gwanda cannot be overemphasised. You start by coming home to build synergies with the parent minister who sees the progress every day and interfaces with the mine every day. That ensures that whenever we need help we have her maternal and political instinct ready to help when we seek counsel but it also means even when we celebrate the reopening, that too will be shared with the parent minister of the province” said Mr Dolan.
He said the minister expressed both keenness and anxiety on the opening of the mine and asked that she be appraised on the intricate details of the plan to reopen as well as specific timelines which management vowed to put together and deliver complete with required details following a slew of meetings due with stakeholders and potential funders.
“The minister was as eager as we are to see a timeline established and followed and we are in step with her every emotion in ensuring all ends well in our reopening plans,” added Mr Dolan.
Minister Ndlovu comes in following her appointment by President Mnangagwa, who reassigned her from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
An economist at heart, her personal strengths will no doubt grow Matabeleland South, itself a hub of economic activity as a province rich in mineral wealth and boundless potential and human capital.
Online Reporter