adminOliver Kazunga, Senior Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation (ZMF) says commissioning of the $5 million gold service centre at Queens Mine in Bubi District has been postponed to end of February.
The gold service centre was expected to be commissioned last week.
ZMF first vice president Mr Ishmael Kaguru said: “We are still waiting for the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to clear some of the imported mining equipment from South Africa so that it enters the country duty free.
“It is a Government policy that all mining equipment is exempted from paying duty, thus we are waiting for the Government to clear some of the service centre’s mining equipment still in South Africa”.
He said as a result, the gold service centre at Queens Mine “will be launched at the end of February”.
The service centre, which is the first of its kind in the country by ZMF, would be used as a pilot project the two parties are set to roll out in different parts of the country starting next year.
A gold service centre is an establishment where all the functions related to gold mining – from extracting to processing and sales – will be coordinated from.
It is hoped that the gold service centre would benefit Bubi Small-Scale Miners’ Association and the country at large.
Bubi Small-Scale Miners’ Association has over 300 members.
Mr Kaguru is on record saying through the gold service centres, small-scale miners in the country would for the first time benefit from their sands unlike what was happening when stamp mills are used.
In 2015, under the Government’s project, the first gold service centre was set up at Peace Mine in Silobela.
It is also believed that the setting up of gold service centres across the country would boost the mineral’s national output.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has projected that the country will this year improve gold output from 21 tonnes achieved in 2016 to 28 tonnes.
The Government is also considering scrapping royalties levied on gold producers in order to boost output.
Gold miners pay three percent royalties after Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa lowered the fees from five percent last year.
According to the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, mining royalties contributed $62,9 million to revenue in 2016.
Zimbabwe earned $914 million from gold produced last year.
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